At least 100 administrative employees from Venezuela’s state oil and natural gas company PDVSA have been forced to resign over their political positions since the disputed July 28 election that re-elected President Nicolás Maduro.
Similar dismissals have been reported in other public offices, including public media and state-owned industrial conglomerates.
The layoffs come as part of a broader government crackdown on dissent over the government’s claim that President Maduro won the election. The opposition released partial polls showing its candidate, Edmundo González, won by a wide margin.
At PDVSA headquarters in Caracas, reports say around 100 administrative employees have been expelled. Another 30 in PDVSA’s eastern division have been forced to resign, according to the country’s largest oil union.
According to Reuters, the social media networks of PDVSA employees are being closely monitored and senior executives have instructed operational and administrative employees to attend rallies supporting Maduro.
Employees who have not supported Maduro or questioned the results of the National Electoral Council (CNE) are being fired.
“This is a political revenge against the many workers who, in the last election process, demonstrated against the Maduro government through social networks, in WhatsApp groups and in other ways,” said Jose Bodas, a leader of the largest labor union. of oil in Venezuela. a statement.
This latest wave of layoffs is reminiscent of 2002 and 2003, when President Hugo Chavez, Maduro’s predecessor, fired more than 18,000 PDVSA workers for participating in a general strike that paralyzed the entire country.
The current situation could exacerbate PDVSA’s chronic staffing issue, where a lack of skilled workers has affected the company’s operational capacity. In the last decade, oil production has fallen to a quarter of what it was.
On Tuesday, President Maduro made major changes to his cabinet, adding the oil ministry to Vice President Delcy Rodriguez’s list of duties. Rodriguez is one of Maduro’s closest allies and his appointment as oil minister puts him in charge of the Venezuelan economy. PDVSA was producing 851,000 barrels per day (bpd) in June, according to Venezuela Analysis.
The National Union of Press Workers has also reported that at least 40 employees were fired from state television channel VTV for simply “liking” opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s social media posts.
Workers were illegally fired from August 1 to August 2 in Caracas, as well as in states across the country. Layoffs have also occurred at the National Radio (RNV).
SNTP also mentioned the “terror” and “fear” the workers experienced in reporting their testimonies.
Since the elections, the government has strengthened the supervision of public employees.
