Protesters at the Central University of Venezuela on March 19 demanded fair wages, pensions, and scholarships, as well as a just budget for education and respect for university autonomy. Photo: Provea.
Guacamaya, March 19, 2025. Workers from several Caracas universities gathered on Wednesday morning to demand fair wages and pensions from the Ministry of University Education.
The protest was inter-union, involving professors and other employees from public universities in the capital. According to the organizers, the main demands were “fair wages, a just budget, and respect for university autonomy.”
The protesters, mostly from the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), Simón Bolívar University, and Simón Rodríguez University, began gathering at 9 a.m. at the UCV Rectorate Plaza. Workers and union representatives were also accompanied by students and other demonstrators. Another demand was for fair scholarships.
Wages and pensions in Venezuela’s public sector are the lowest in the region. The minimum wage is only 130 bolivars (Bs), equivalent to less than 2 dollars at the Central Bank of Venezuela’s exchange rate. Incomes have been supplemented with bonuses that can add up to more than 100 dollars, but these do not count as wages for social security and collective bargaining purposes.
The march attempted to reach the Ministry of University Education headquarters but was stopped by a Bolivarian National Police line.
By noon, the non-governmental organization Provea reported that the march was still being held back on Salvador Allende Avenue, near the Tamanaco Arch, due to security forces blocking the way.
Educational institutions like the UCV and USB are autonomous universities, which means that, although they are public, they have, according to law, greater independence from state powers. Even security forces outside these institutions are not allowed to enter their campuses.
Simón Rodríguez University is experimental. It depends more on the state, but its unions and professional organizations are generally independent.
