Title: Trabajadores and unions march in Maracaibo demanding a salary increase
Date: May 1st, 2023
On Labor Day, members of unions, guilds, teachers, retirees, pensioners, and workers in general from Maracaibo, in Zulia, marched from the headquarters of the Labor Inspectorate on 77th Street (5 de Julio) to FetraZulia in Los Haticos to demand a «dignified salary.»
Currently, the concentration at the starting point does not exceed 200 people. However, the newspaper La Verdad verified that there are several groups of people with protest signs and flags waiting for public transportation in different areas of the city to reach the meeting location.
It should be noted that, because it is a national holiday, there are few people on the streets, in addition to less traffic than usual, making it difficult for those interested in participating in the civic protest to attend.
The presence of various police and military forces stationed along 5 de Julio, where the march will take place, was also detailed. However, their purpose seems to be to protect the protesters, as no road closures were taken to stop them from reaching their destination, the FetraZulia headquarters.
The concentration, which is also taking place in different cities in Venezuela, is to demand an increase in the minimum wage, which is currently 130 bolívares and has been in effect since March 15, 2022, equivalent to 5.25 dollars, according to the current rate of the Central Bank of Venezuela.
These protests have been taking place throughout the country since the beginning of the year, organized by different guilds to demonstrate the dissatisfaction of Venezuelan workers with the salary that «does not cover anything,» a popular slogan in their street actions.
It is expected that Nicolás Maduro will comment on the salary increase during his weekly program, «Con Maduro Más,» broadcast at 5 pm on the VTV channel.
