The Acting President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, announced this Wednesday that there will be a salary increase on May 1st, without specifying whether it refers to the minimum wage, frozen since March 2022, or to an income received by public sector workers consisting of two bonuses that was increased last month. «I announce that on May 1st we will make an increase, and that increase will be responsible,» said the Chavista leader in a nearly half-hour national address whose broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) briefly failed due to a power outage.Rodríguez confirmed that last March, an income composed of two bonuses received by public sector workers in bolívars at the official daily rate was increased from $160 to $190. This income does not affect labor benefits and was made possible after the sale of fueloil, a petroleum derivative, amid the oil opening and rapprochement with the United States.The head of state, who assumed the position following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January in Caracas by U.S. forces, stated that wages are expected to be improved «in the near future as Venezuela enjoys more resources». «Our immediate, medium, and long-term objective is to sustainably and gradually recover workers' income through productive growth in both the hydrocarbons and mining sectors, which generate immediate income,» she added.Rodríguez also installed a commission for «labor dialogue» amidst worker protests demanding salary increases and ordered the formation of another for the «strategic» evaluation of the country's assets. She also called for a pilgrimage against sanctions that will traverse the country from April 19th to May 1st, when, she said, it will arrive in Caracas.
