Venezuela: Right-wing teachers' strike fails

Teachers' salaries in Venezuela have increased 550% since 1999, education minister Hector Navarra said on March 23, according to the March 24 Diario Vea.

He was commenting after threats of strike action over pay by two of the country's teachers' unions controlled by the right-wing Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV). In 2002, the CTV helped lead, along with the main business federation, a US-backed military coup that briefly overthrew the elected Chavez government.

President Hugo Chavez promised teachers a salary increase, the March 28 Ultimas Noticias said. He ordered the finance, planning and education ministers to meet with unions to reach a collective agreement in the coming week.

The new salary will take effect from May 1, Chavez said.

While acknowledging the just nature of the claim by teachers for wage increases to improve their standard of living in a speech to graduating teachers on March 27, Chavez criticised the right-wing unions for attempting to destabilise the country by organising a strike on March 25. The action was a failure, with less than 1% participation by teachers, media reports said.

The March 31 Ultimas Noticias said progress on the signing of a new agreement with three progressive teachers' unions were well advanced.

"Up until now they have approved about 30 out of 50 clauses. Now we are discussing salaries, which will take more time, but we hope that with the announcement made last week by President Chavez, the discussion will be completed before the end of April", union representative Wilmer Lozada said

Chavez told the teacher graduates: "The task of education is the transformation of socialist values, and how to put them into practice."

From GLW issue 790