Venezuelan Gov’t Maintains Frozen Minimum Wage, Hikes Bonuses on May Day
Caracas, May 1, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced on Thursday an increase in the so-called “integral minimum income” to the equivalent of US $240 per month for public sector workers.
At a public rally in Caracas, Rodríguez stated that the private sector was also urged to establish employees’ incomes at $240 per month or more. The amounts are set in US dollars but paid in bolívares at the day’s official exchange rate set by the Central Bank.
The latest adjustment involved an increase of the “economic war bonus” from $150 to $200 a month, alongside a $40 monthly food bonus. Venezuela’s monthly minimum wage has remained frozen at 130 bolívares, roughly $0.27 at the present exchange rate, since the last increase in March 2022.
The economic war bonus for pensioners was raised from $58 to $70 a month, and for public sector retirees from $130 to $168. The acting president further introduced a new, one-time “professional and academic recognition” bonus, ranging between $60 and $120, aimed at strategic sectors such as security, education, and healthcare. She also urged labor inspectorates to address workers’ demands regarding employment conditions.
The acting president described the latest income hike as “the most significant increase in recent years,” while acknowledging that it remains insufficient in the face of rising living costs. The announcement also included a commitment to develop a special plan to improve conditions for elders in the medium term.
“When I see workers protesting, I tell them ‘you are right!’” Rodríguez stated. “We want to recover wages, and this is a first step to protect the workers’ purchasing power.” In the lead-up to May 1, the Venezuelan leader had argued that salary adjustments must be “responsible” in order not to trigger inflation.
Rodríguez emphasized that the latest bonus adjustments, while maintaining the minimum wage freeze, were agreed upon in discussions between government representatives, trade unions, and business sector associations.
The tripartite negotiations are also advancing in a proposal to reform Venezuela’s Labor Law. On Thursday night, Labor Minister Carlos Castillo confirmed that a labor reform is being evaluated.
“We are discussing it,” he said in an interview with state broadcaster VTV. “It has to come out of the negotiating table and generate consensus.”
The labor reform plans, as well as the continued bonus-over-wage policies, have drawn fierce criticism from trade unions. Center-right, right-wing, and left-wing labor organizations staged a number of rallies in multiple states on May 1st.
Organizations such as the Central University of Venezuela Professors Association (APUCV) rejected the bonus increase, arguing that it deepens the “de-waging” of salaries and undermines labor rights.
“Continuing the policy of replacing wages with income is another severe blow against the university. It disregards merit, experience, and hierarchy. It also destroys collective bargaining agreements and the institutions responsible for social security,” the group said in a statement.
In recent months, labor protests have intensified in sectors such as education, healthcare, and public services. Workers have demanded that any wage increase be fully incorporated into base salaries rather than delivered through discretionary bonuses, noting that Venezuela’s Constitution mandates at least one annual adjustment to the legal minimum wage. Unions have likewise demanded the repeal of statutes such as the 2792 Memorandum that suspended several collective bargaining rights.
These sectors have also voiced opposition to business-backed proposals to reform the Organic Labor Law (LOTTT) in ways that could reduce benefits and social security contributions. Fedecámaras and other private sector associations have demanded reforms that cheapen labor costs for employers and increase flexibility for dismissals.
Venezuela’s landmark 2012 Labor Law, one of the last major legislative projects of former President Hugo Chávez, prohibits unjustified dismissal and outsourcing, establishes one of the longest maternity leaves globally, guarantees the right to work for women and people with disabilities, and extends pension rights to all workers, including full-time homemakers and the self-employed.
The latest bonus adjustment was announced during the closing rally of the “Great Pilgrimage for a Free and Peaceful Venezuela,” a series of mobilizations across the country calling for an end to wide-reaching US sanctions imposed on the country.
The measures followed a string of recent oil agreements with transnational corporations and optimistic forecasts regarding the Venezuelan economy. However, since January, the Trump administration has imposed control over the Caribbean nation’s oil export revenues, with the disbursement amounts and timings left at US officials’ discretion.
Edited by Ricardo Vaz in Caracas.