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Venezuelans Clash Over Wage Policy
Caracas, Venezuela –– Marching union members clashed with supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a rally Wednesday to protest government wage policies. Street fighting erupted when Chavez supporters prevented about 2,000 members of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation from approaching the Lara State government headquarters in the western city of Barquisimeto. Police were called in to stop the fighting as dozens of people from each side pelted the other with rocks and debris. Confederation president Carlos Ortega blamed Lara Gov. Luis Reyes, a close Chavez associate, for the incident. Chavez supporters have recently taken to the streets to confront opposition marches, sometimes at the urging of local authorities. Reyes said the situation in Barquisimeto was "manageable" and accused the labor union of trying to "destabilize" the government. The workers confederation is Venezuela's largest labor group with 1 million members, including thousands of civil servants. It has warned it may call a general strike if, among other demands, the government fails to increase salaries and pay back wages and pensions inherited from previous administrations. FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Action on Aging distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
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