Political Retaliation in Venezuela's Oil Sector: Over 100 Workers Forced Out

More than 100 employees at Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA and additional workers in the oil ministry and public sector have been forced to resign over their political views following last month's disputed election. The government claims President Nicolas Maduro won, but the opposition disputes the results. Administrative and operational workers are being coerced to support Maduro or face dismissal.

Over a hundred employees at Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, along with others in the oil ministry and public sector, have been forced to resign due to their political views since last month's contested election, workers and unions reported.

The government asserts President Nicolas Maduro secured a third term in the July 28 vote, but the opposition argues that partial tallies show their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won decisively. Top PDVSA executives have directed workers to attend pro-Maduro rallies and monitored their social media activities, according to company sources and a union leader.

Staff members who oppose Maduro or question the official election results are being pressured to quit. "They call you to human resources, sit you down, and give you a resignation letter you must sign," said a source familiar with the situation.

The oil ministry and PDVSA declined to comment on the matter. This crackdown risks worsening a chronic staffing shortage at PDVSA, further hindering its operations and slashing oil output to a mere fraction of its former capacity.

From PDVSA's Caracas headquarters alone, around 100 administrative workers have been ousted since the election, with over 30 more from the Eastern division. Jose Bodas, a union leader, termed this as political retaliation against those who opposed Maduro in the latest electoral process.

PDVSA employs roughly 90,000 people, according to CEO Pedro Tellechea. Similar crackdowns are occurring in other public offices, including Corpoelec, state industrial conglomerates, Pequiven, Caracas' subway, and public media.

At least eight oil ministry employees have been dismissed for political reasons, according to sources. Reuters has been unable to confirm the total number of public sector resignations since the election. An anonymous refinery worker described how even minor social media posts against the government led to forced resignations, terming it as an organized persecution.

Numerous international entities, including the United Nations, have urged Venezuela's government to release the complete election results and cease the persecution, following anti-Maduro protests that resulted in 23 deaths and over 2,400 arrests.

(With inputs from agencies.)