Employers and trade union organizations in Venezuela agreed to extend the Collective Bargaining Agreement Construction Sector workers as its term expired in March 2018. The Agreement will be extended from April 2018 to April 2019. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 20 March 2018 at the Venezuelan Chamber of Construction (CVC) in Caracas.
The parties negotiated an additional extension of one-year having repercussions in salary aspects of the current convention with an increase of 250% in the payment scale, according to professional tasks. In this way and as a minimum, workers will be able to face the high inflation that affects the country, according to the signatory parties.
The meeting was led by Juan Andrés Sosa and representatives of FETRACONSTRUCCION, FENATCS, FETRAMAQUIPES - BWI affiliates - and FUNTBCAC. These organizations represent workers in public and private infrastructure works sector in the country. The MoU was also signed by the Bolivarian Chamber of Construction (CBC), which is another employers’ organization. The extension was endorsed in the Ministry of Popular Power for Social Labour Process and is expected to be applied as from the second week of April, once it is published in the Official Gazette.
During the MoU’s presentation, parties reflected on the construction industry situation, concluding from various perspectives and visions, to be facing the worst crisis ever known in the industry. They also exchanged on alternatives to overcome these difficulties, including the activation of capital market; use of pension funds; changes in the benefit scheme; reactivating the purchasing power of consumers; and reactivating the real estate market.
The union representatives will check the employers’ proposals in detail and will issue counterproposals tended to do not refuse workers' conquests during last years.