More than 20% of the labor conflicts registered in the last four years in Venezuela have been carried out by workers in the education sector, which meant “more than 1,000 protests carried out by teachers,” the Institute of Higher Trade Union Studies reported on Monday in a statement (Inaesin).
The organization asserted that, from 2018 until now, the education sector has remained, along with the health sector, as one of the most participatory in claiming their rights in Venezuela.
The Inaesin said that the main claim of the teachers’ union is the low salary they earn, but that there are also shortcomings in the exercise of their work.
“They have also claimed for the abandonment of educational establishments, which are in terrible conditions of deterioration, as well as for school canteens that do not work,” the institute pointed out.
In addition, he assured that, currently, Venezuelan teachers have salaries of between two and ten dollars, depending on their years of experience, which prevent them from facing changes in schedules and the necessary mobility to carry out their work.
Venezuelan teachers plunged into depression
“Despite the changes in schedules as a result of the pandemic and mobility restrictions, in recent years teachers have faced a 40-hour workweek, which does not include bonuses or food bonuses, and for which they receive little more than two dollars. Those who have a higher academic degree and years of experience barely receive ten dollars,” said Inaesin.
Last week, this union organization alerted on the increase in cases of depression among Venezuelan workers and assured that it is “a public health problem.”
“In Venezuela, we see with concern how suicide cases have increased. It is a public health problem that harms Venezuelan workers in an almost silent way,” the institute said in a statement.