Acting President Delcy Rodríguez Promises 'Responsible' Wage Increase for Venezuela

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodríguez promised workers a wage increase on May 1, 2026, without disclosing the amount, as union groups prepared to march in Caracas on Thursday to demand higher pay. Rodríguez delivered a nationally televised address on Wednesday in which she described the coming adjustment as a "responsible increase" designed to avoid the inflationary surge that followed previous wage hikes. She offered no specific figure, saying the government would continue improving incomes as Venezuela gains access to more resources. The announcement came against a backdrop of severe economic strain, with the country's minimum wage frozen at 130 bolivars per month since March 2022. At the official exchange rate, that sum amounts to approximately $3.50, while at parallel market rates it falls as low as $0.27 — well below the United Nations threshold for extreme poverty of $3 per day. Many public sector workers survive on roughly $160 per month when state bonuses are included, while average private sector employees earned about $237 last year, according to AP News.

Inflation above 600% hollows out any salary gains The wage freeze has persisted through years of punishing inflation that has eroded purchasing power across the country. The International Monetary Fund estimates Venezuela's annual inflation rate at 682%, the highest of any country for which it has data. Venezuela's central bank, which had not published inflation data since November 2024, released figures last month showing the annual rate in 2025 reached 475%, up sharply from 48% the year before. According to the Venezuelan Finance Observatory, an independent body, the food basket for a family of five cost $548 in March 2026, meaning a worker would need more than 150 times the current minimum wage to cover basic food needs alone. „A salary of 130 bolivars is a death sentence. We cannot buy even a kilo of meat with what we earn in a month” — Pablo Zambrano via Le Figaro Rodríguez acknowledged the severity of the situation but urged patience, framing the May 1 increase as the beginning of a gradual recovery rather than an immediate fix. „It must be done with prudence, with awareness, with patience, but with a profound spirit of optimism about what the future holds for Venezuela” — Delcy Rodríguez via AP News

130 (bolivars per month) — Venezuela's frozen minimum wage since March 2022

Minimum wage (official rate): 3.50, Minimum wage (parallel rate): 0.27, Public sector workers (with bonuses): 160, Private sector average: 237, Basic food basket (family of five): 548, Basic food basket (individual, DW estimate): 645

Venezuela's economy contracted sharply over the past decade under the government of Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by United States forces in a raid on Caracas on January 3, 2026, and transported to the United States on drug trafficking charges. Delcy Rodríguez, who had served as vice president under Maduro, assumed the acting presidency on January 5, 2026. The country's minimum wage has remained at 130 bolivars since March 2022, with the government instead distributing supplementary bonuses through a digital platform called "Patria" that do not count toward social benefits or seniority calculations. Workers and unions have repeatedly demanded that these bonuses be folded into the base salary.

Rodríguez calls for pilgrimage, announces electricity rationing Beyond the wage announcement, Rodríguez unveiled a series of broader political and economic measures during her half-hour address on state television. She called for a "great pilgrimage against the blockade" to traverse Venezuela from April 19 to May 1, ending in Caracas, and said she would lead the march herself. She also announced a 45-day electricity rationing period, attributing the power shortages to solar radiation affecting the Caribbean country — an explanation that drew criticism from opposition figures and commentators. Rodríguez proposed creating a National Economic Council to design a new tax model and ordered the formation of a commission to evaluate which state assets qualify as strategic, signaling limits on potential privatization. She explicitly ruled out the privatization of PDVSA, the state oil company, in a move widely interpreted as a rebuke of opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has advocated deeper opening of the energy sector. Rodríguez also called for a national dialogue commission involving the state, the private sector, workers, and pensioners, and asked opposition factions to abandon what she described as "radicalism."

U.S. sanctions eased as oil and mining deals take shape Rodríguez's economic strategy rests heavily on expanding Venezuela's oil and mining sectors to generate the revenue needed to sustain wage improvements. The Trump administration has eased part of its sanctions pressure on Venezuela, and the U.S. Treasury Department removed personal sanctions against Rodríguez, according to web search results citing Reuters. The two governments have developed warmer relations since the capture of Maduro, with Washington looking to expand U.S. presence in Venezuela's oil and mining sectors. Rodríguez reformed the country's hydrocarbons law and indicated that new mining regulations are forthcoming, both aimed at attracting foreign capital. „Our immediate, medium-term and long-term goal is to steadily and gradually restore workers' incomes through productive growth in both the hydrocarbons and mining sectors, which generate immediate revenue once production recovery takes place” — Delcy Rodríguez via Reuters Despite the diplomatic opening, Rodríguez repeated calls for the United States to lift all remaining sanctions against Venezuela, arguing that blocked assets abroad would be redirected immediately toward productive investment in hydrocarbons, mining, and basic infrastructure including electricity, water, roads, schools, and hospitals. Union groups remained unconvinced by Wednesday's announcements and proceeded with plans for a march in Caracas on Thursday, April 9, 2026, to press for immediate and concrete wage improvements.