It looks like rebellion could be brewing in Venezuela. Large crowds of angry civil sector workers charged through roadblocks on their way to the presidential palace to demand higher pay.
People are struggling to survive. They say they live on “starvation wages.”
Under pressure from Washington to ease repression, Delcy Rodriguez has pushed through several major economic reforms, as well as an amnesty for political prisoners. She wants to raise wages slowly to avoid causing inflation. People are impatient since they can’t even buy necessities.
Venezuelan public sector workers are running past police road blocks on their way to the presidential palace in an attempt to demand higher pay
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 9, 2026
France 24
Dozens of riot police with helmets and shields lined the streets as the protesters made their way through central Caracas. Police fired teargas when the demonstrators drew within a few blocks of the presidential palace.
The clashes reflect growing anger in Venezuela over the perceived failure of acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who replaced socialist hardliner Maduro in January, to address a cost-of-living crisis.
On Wednesday, she went on television to announce a wage increase on May 1. She didn’t announce how much.
The monthly minimum wage in Venezuela is 130 bolivars (US$0.27), roughly 330 times lower than the UN poverty line of $3 a day.
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Jesus Godoy, who devoted over 20 years to public service, showed an AFP reporter two 100-bolivar bills in his pocket, equivalent to about 40 US cents, saying: “I don’t even have enough for a packet of flour.”
He charged that government officials “drive around in huge SUVs with bodyguards, while ordinary Venezuelans are left to suffer.”