Oil unions demand pay raises in Venezuela

Oil sector workers in Venezuela have asked that their pay keep pace with the new energy investments under way in the country, according to the portal Banca y Negocios, which reported on October 22, 2026.

William Golindano, secretary general of the Sindicato de Trabajadores Petroleros de la Faja Petrolífera del Orinoco, warned that technical staff assigned by Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) to work for multinational companies under the professional technical assistance arrangement are working under insecure pay conditions. He told Unión Radio, as reported by Banca y Negocios, that these workers receive a package of 20 dollars a day for 12 hours of work, with no additional benefits.

Iván Freites, secretary general of the Sindicato Único de Trabajadores Petroleros, Petroquímicos, Gasíferos y Conexos (Sutpgef), said that employees in the hydrocarbons sector on the eastern shore of Lake Maracaibo had begun protests at the headquarters of the state energy company, demanding higher wages and the restoration of contractual benefits. According to information published by the outlet Tal Cual and reported by Banca y Negocios, workers earn weekly wages of 5 dollars and have lost their health care services.

The wage claim comes amid rising living costs. According to data published by the portal Descifrado, the monthly food basket for a family of five rose to 761.35 dollars in September, a 0.79% increase from August, when it stood at 755.36 dollars. Separately, according to reports in El Nacional, the national government projects investments of 76 billion dollars over the next five years in the oil and gas sectors.