About 2,200 contractor's workers and nearly 4,800 workers of Venezuelan aluminum smelter CVG Venalum are demonstrating since Thursday morning in the premises of the plant. They rejected delays in the renewal of their collective bargaining agreement and failure to comply with the effective agreement, reported Manuel Díaz, a director of the workers union.

The trade union leader said that Venalum "is operating only at 30 percent capacity because workers are tired of the breaches to the collective bargaining agreement, which has not been renewed in the last four years.#

"Meritocracy and technological improvements have been disregarded and apparently authorities are trying to undermine the company. We want that the USD 700 million received by the government for future contracts to be used to optimize the plant and pay labor liabilities," he added.

Díaz said that the workers are disappointed at the so-called workers' governance. "We, the workers, are witnessing a fight for personal benefits, bribery, just like in the Fourth Republic."