Tens of thousands are still missing. Rescue teams keep digging through collapsed buildings in Caracas and in the coastal state of La Guaira, the areas hit hardest, where entire neighbourhoods lie in ruins along with workplaces, hospitals and basic infrastructure. A state of emergency is in force. The disaster is falling hardest on families and communities already made vulnerable, especially women and children, older people and workers in precarious and informal jobs.
IndustriALL Global Union stands behind the solidarity letter sent by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and joins the international labour movement in expressing its solidarity with the people of Venezuela. In moments like this, international solidarity matters more than ever.
The affected region is home to major energy, petrochemical and manufacturing activities, industries in which IndustriALL, through its affiliates, represents workers in over 130 countries.
IndustriALL has no affiliated unions in Venezuela. Our solidarity nevertheless goes out to all workers in these industries and to the Venezuelan trade union movement. Their members have lost family, homes and livelihoods and many workplaces are damaged or have stopped operating altogether.
The earthquakes hit a people who had already endured a great deal. Millions were struggling to meet basic needs long before the disaster and at the start of the year IndustriALL condemned the violation of the rule-based international order and its consequences for Venezuela’s sovereignty and its people. Crisis has now been compounded by disaster.
IndustriALL reaffirms its solidarity with workers and communities affected and expresses its deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones.