Pdvsa imposes sanctions on 180 ex-workers charged with oil strike

Claims for compensation surpass USD 3.7 billion

Only five ex-workers were found not guilty for the losses suffered by Pdvsa during the oil strike in 2002-2003 (File photo)

ERNESTO J. TOVAR | EL UNIVERSAL

Wednesday December 05, 2012 12:43 PM

Ten years after the nationwide oil strike from December 2002 to January 2003, state-run oil holding Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) completed the hearings of its Comptrollership Management, meting out administrative sanctions and fines to 180 out of 185 ex-workers for their involvement in the protest.

Eddie Ramírez, a coordinator of NGO Gente del Petróleo, reported that the sanctions were disclosed on Monday. "Fines ranged from 550 to 990 tax units, and on account of redress, Pdvsa is requiring between USD 21.8 million and USD 29 million for the oil that could not be exported, the gasoline that had to be imported, and alleged unspecified damages to the corporate facilities," Ramírez broke down. Only the compensation imposed on Pdvsa ex-workers are about USD 3.7 billion, in addition to fines.

The outcome is that only five ex-workers were found not guilty for the losses alleged by the oil company.

etovar@eluniversal.com

Translated by Conchita Delgado

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José Vicente Rangel clearly said: "We are not conducting negotiations threatened with a gun in the head." He warned behind closed doors in the midst of the social upheaval occurred during the oil strike in 2002 and 2003. Dissenting Timoteo Zambrano answered back that no other option was available: "The thing is that otherwise, you do not negotiate."

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