Over a hundred employees at Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA, plus others in the oil ministry and parts of the public sector, have been forced to resign over their political views since last month’s disputed election, workers and unions said.
The government says President Nicolas Maduro won a third term in the July 28 contest, but the opposition says partial vote tallies indicate its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won a resounding victory.
Political Pressure
According to four company sources and a union leader, top PDVSA executives have directed administrative and operational staff to participate in rallies supporting Maduro and have monitored their social media accounts. Those who have not endorsed Maduro or have questioned the official election results are being forced out, they reported.
“They make an argument about the smallest things, social media status, a message in your profile, a quote against the government. They take a screenshot and pass it to human resources,” said a refinery employee, who asked not to be identified due to fear of retaliation.
“They call you to human resources, sit you down, and give you a resignation letter you must sign,” a source familiar with the situation said.
Venezuela’s oil ministry and PDVSA did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
The situation could further exacerbate a chronic staffing issue at PDVSA, where a lack of qualified workers has hit many aspects of the company’s operations. Its oil output has declined to a fraction of what it was a decade ago.
At PDVSA’s headquarters in Caracas, about 100 administrative employees have been pushed out since the election, according to two of the sources. Over 30 others at PDVSA’s Eastern division, in charge of most of Venezuela’s crude output, have been made to resign, the country’s largest oil union said in a statement over the weekend.
“This is political retaliation against numerous workers who in the most recent electoral process have shown themselves against Maduro,” union leader Jose Bodas said in the statement.
PDVSA has some 90,000 employees, according to figures given this year by its CEO, Pedro Tellechea.
Similar Crackdown
According to Bodas, other unions, and sources from those entities, similar crackdowns have been implemented across various public offices. This includes several ministries, the state power company Corpoelec, state industrial conglomerates, the petrochemical firm Pequiven, Caracas’ subway system, and public media outlets.
At least eight employees from the oil ministry have been pushed out for political reasons, a source close to the matter said.
“They make an argument about the smallest things, social media status, a message in your profile, a quote against the government. They take a screenshot and pass it to human resources,” said a refinery employee, who asked not to be identified due to fear of retaliation.
Western countries and international bodies including the United Nations have called on Venezuela’s government to release a full tally of last month’s votes and stop persecution after anti-Maduro protests led to 23 deaths and over 2,400 arrests.
(With inputs from Reuters)
