Energy
Contractors that provide services to the state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) are applying the 2007 collective bargaining agreement in the recruitment of staff.

In a statement, the state-owned oil company instructed the contractors to implement in their bidding process, particularly in the labor costs, the former collective bargaining agreement. Pdvsa argues that the new oil labor agreement "must be approved by the Cabinet. Therefore, the oil industry is still working formally with the old collective bargaining agreement until the approval of the new instrument."

However, despite the request, the state-run oil company is applying to its payroll the new collective bargaining agreement 2009-2011, which is already in force, after it was approved by the Ministry of Labor.

This agreement executed by Pdvsa and the Federation of Venezuelan Workers of the Oil, Gas and Related Sectors (Futpv) covers both in-house and outsourced staff.

Deisy Buitrago
EL UNIVERSAL