The public sector is the target subject group, where the move will be launched
Venezuela, a victim of the severe drought that has taken over large parts of the world, has been unable to produce a sufficient amount of hydroelectricity to provide for all its industries and civilians, due to a rapid reduction in water levels at its main hydroelectricity dam. This has forced the Vice-President, Mr. Aristobulo Isturiz, to declare a two-day work week for all public sector employees so as to conserve energy.
In a televised announcement, the Vice-President said that public servants would be reporting to work only on Mondays and Tuesdays,”There will be no work in the public sector on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, except for fundamental and necessary tasks.” This is a continued measure, as President Nicolas Maduro had already let public offices (2.8 million employees) remain shut on most Fridays in April and May. Affected by the El Nino weather phenomenon, much like other Latin American nations, the Venezuelans await a good monsoon to speed the economy back to recovery.
President Nicolas Maduro stated, “We are requesting international help, technical and financial aid to help revert the situation,” he said. “We are managing the situation in the best possible way while we wait for the rains to return. Several countries in the region have been affected by the drought, caused by El Nino. But Venezuela has the highest domestic consumption of energy. “
Meanwhile, the government continues to take small measures to conserve power, such as introducing regular power cuts, sometimes as long as four hours a day. At the beginning of this week, the official clocks were pushed forward by half an hour in order to reduce energy demand during the evening hours. Early in February of this year, retail and wholesale stores were asked to generate their own energy and reduce shop opening hours. However, much of the Opposition and the business class is starting to hold the government’s lack of organization responsible for the crisis at hand. Not only that, but they also claim that they find the late President Hugo Chavez’s stringent currency controls in 2003 to be backfiring.
Amidst these accusations of economic mismanagement, the Venezuelan economy heaves with survival pressure as the reasonably large fall in oil prices adversely affect its exports.
Source: (Story and Images): BBC
Tags: Aristobulo Isturiz Venezuela
