How to buy a union

March 7, 2003

The Chavez Government uses power and money to buy people routinely, but sometimes it is just incredible. The latest effort is that of buying the unconditional support of the largest  union of oil workers, Fedepetrol, by appointing the Head of that union to the Board of PDVSA. If this is not a conflict of interest, then I don’t know what is. Of course, the Government will argue that it is good to have him on the Board to respresent the workers. Then I ask, why didn’t they name the previous President of Fedepetrol, Carlos Ortega, who is currently being persecuted by the Government and in hiding after a judge ordered his detention? Now, of course, Mr. Rosales could care less about the oil workers, after all, PDVSA has fired 17,000 workers so far and we have yet to hear a complaint from him. I guess he will now preside over the new firings and truly show his union workers that he doesn’t care for them. As a member of the Board Mr. Rosales will receive at least $150,000 a year in compensation.

This entry was posted on March 7, 2003 at 11:08 pm and is filed under Venezuela.

Leave a comment