Caracas avoids an ILO commission of inquiry for alleged violation of agreements

Venezuela today has avoided a commission of the International Labor Organization (ILO) to investigate the alleged violation of agreements of the organism regarding methods of fixing minimum wages, freedom of association and protection of the right to organize.

Geneva, November 10 (EFE). - Venezuela has today avoided a commission of the International Labor Organization (ILO) that investigates the alleged violation of agreements of the organism regarding the methods of setting minimum wages, freedom of association and protection of the right to organize.

The ILO Governing Body decided today to "suspend the adoption of a decision on the appointment of a commission of inquiry "on the condition that the Venezuelan Government install" before the end of 2017 a tripartite meeting to promote dialogue in order to resolve all outstanding issues "in its dispute with an employers 'organization.

The complaint confronts the employers' organization FEDECAMARAS (Federación of Chambers and Associations of Commerce and Production of Venezuela), which denounced the alleged violation of these agreements and alleged intimidatory attacks, with the Venezuelan Government.

The country's largest employer has criticized the government for having made constant minimum wage increases - five only so far this year and more than 40 since the Revolution began in 1999 Bolivarian - without consultation with employers and trade unions.

According to the adopted text, the ILO calls "for the last time" to the Executive to engage in "good faith" a dialogue "transparent and productive", based on respect for employers 'and workers' organizations, with a view to "promoting solid and stable industrial relations".

The organ The ILO executive also urged the government to invite a high level mission of the organization to Venezuela so that it can meet with authorities, FEDECAMARAS and its organizations members and affiliated companies, as well as with unions and leaders of all social sectors.

According to FEDECAMARAS, the mission is scheduled to travel to Venezuela in January 2018.

The ILO Governing Body, in which governments, companies and trade unions participate equally, lamented "the lack of progress with regard to the decisions taken in his previous sessions, "and asked the CEO, Guy Ryder, to provide all the necessary support for an eventual high-level mission to Venezuela.

He urged Ryder to present at the next meeting of the Council in March 2018 a report with which the executive body can decide if there has been concrete progress in the social dialogue that should occur at a table tripartite.

The Venezuelan Government, represented by the Deputy Minister for the Integrated Labor Inspection and Social Security System, José Ramón Rivero, and the Ambassador to the UN In Geneva, Jorge Valero said in a statement that he has achieved an "important victory."

He has "defeated FEDECAMARAS's pretensions of wanting to manipulate this organization" by requesting a commission of investigation or survey as it is formally called.

Rivero reiterated the willingness of the Venezuelan Government to dialogue and "dismantled the unfounded allegations of the representative of the business right "when giving evidence of how the Executive" has summoned all national sectors, including the business sector for the country to deploy a plan economic, political and social to ensure peace, "Caracas said in a statement.

FEDECAMARAS, meanwhile, said in a statement that" it is time to undertake a real social dialogue (...) without political issues, focused on the reactivation of the productive apparatus, the structural approach to inflation, the recovery of the purchasing power of wages and respect for free enterprise initiative ".