Venezuela: United Socialist, It requires the Executive to calculate and report actual cost of the basic food basket

To wage new fall, becomes important Remedy of Amparo by Art. 91 CRBV, introduced to TSJ. Gonzalo Gomez Freire, National Socialist spokesman Marea (MS), said today that before the new fall in the purchasing power of wages after the increase granted by the government last August, it is necessary to insist on compliance with Article 91 of the Constitution, which it establishes as one of the references for setting the minimum wage, the cost of the basic food basket.
Gómez, of that political organization of workers, She introduced by Carlos Paredes, Comptroller Social Council Justice System (CCSSJJ), an Amparo, which it was received by the Supreme Court (TSJ)the day 17 July this year and registered under file number 2018 – 499.

El Amparo makes the following petition to the Constitutional Chamber of the TSJ: the restoration of the constitutional right of the working man and a "living wage", that "allowed to live with dignity and cover for themselves and their family's basic material needs, social and intellectual ", as provided by Article 91 of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and for fixing the minimum wage has actually reference the cost of the basic food basket, as stated in the same article, will be ordained to the National Executive respecting an immediate readjustment of the minimum wage, in correspondence with the scientific-technical calculation of the cost of the basic food basket, and technical and social consultations necessary; proceeding to leveling with the movement of its actual cost. Request also instruct them that all measures to realign wages are issued nationwide, from the minimum wage fixing updated to basket.

Similarly, Amparo requests, in response to the article 91 of the Constitution, and according to the prerequisites that enable compliance, To adjust the minimum wage, having reference to the cost of the basic food basket ... is ordered and urge the National Government and State agencies responsible for economic and social information, calculating the cost of the basic food basket, as well as the food basket and other indicators related, updated manner and at a pace that matches the hyperinflationary dynamic by which we come across. This in order to provide the State's own data and reference information for proper fit and grounded, nonarbitrary, minimum wage, and to fulfill the right of the Company, workers, to access and know all that information.

On this base, is incorporated, equally, the request that national institutions imposed the periodic recalculation of the minimum wage necessary to enable it to fulfill the essence of law and the provisions of Art. 91 CRBV.

Still no response is known TSJ, but the writ of Amparo is in the hands of the President of the Constitutional Court, designated rapporteur (Judge Juan Jose Mendoza Jover).
Gómez concerned that in recent days in a television program, former Minister of Labor and current constituent of the PSUV in the ANC pro-guberrnamental, Francisco Torrealba, who she was once unionist, He dismissed the sources of social and union information that are currently the only ones that carry the calculation of the basic food basket and the Food Basket, but "Torrealba said that was not what the official sources of information on these indicators, because neither the National Statistics Institute, nor the Central Bank of Venezuela, neither the Ministry of Labor handle public cost calculations, thereby they fail to comply with their duties and the right to have workers and citizens to be properly informed about it " . "And this means that wage government decisions end up being quite arbitrary and at whim, without scientific-technical parameters and, Of course, by and in violation of clearly established that the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ", said spokesman MS.

Gómez believes that "would not be surprising that in the new Constitution that are scheming to destroy the gains of the Bolivarian revolution in the Chávez, erase this Article 91 or amend the reference to the cost of the basic food basket for setting the minimum wage, because they are already doing in practice, imposing a wage that contravenes the Constitution in force ".

Amparo introduced in the data cost of the basic food basket and food basket offering social-unions as CENDAS-FVM and take CENDA, Given that "the State ignores or hides the information of these values ​​is required to handle as criteria", Gomez says.

Informs the MS political leader who has been meeting with leaders and activists and trade union organizations in recent months have been fighting for wages, as well as respect for collective agreements and wage tabulators. They has been revealing a writ of security and has been invited to join, to support it or to introduce similar resources on their own, because according to his explanation- "A wage increase is unfounded if it is not taken into account the cost of the basic food basket, since the own Art. 91 indicates that a salary, to be considered sufficient, You should allow life with dignity and coverage of basic material needs, social and intellectual, As for the guarantee of a minimum wage by the state to public sector workers and private, the Constitution provides that fits under the basket ". But, "What the government does not have anything to do with this and it violates a constitutional right when they do not take into account the value of the basic food basket and even that of food, leaving aside the estimation of the huge gap that persists between the declared minimum wages and the cost of maintenance of families, so it is officially active part in the destruction of the purchasing power of workers and we are becoming ultra cheap labor for capitalist super-exploitation ".

Gomez says, "When we introduced the Amparo mid July and then put the government minimum wage 1.800 Sovereigns Bs currency redenomination, and starting this salary barely able to cover the estimated cost of half the food basket, which only covers the right to eat some foods, and that wage, although we say it is unpayable, He did not come to cover even a quarter of the basic food basket, goods and services"; to which he adds that "now the situation is much worse, because there is a sliding scale of prices here, which it is hyperinflation, changes constantly reference the cost of the basket is indicated in the Constitution, but it is intended that wages remain below it, they do not move in tandem, which means quite simply impose poverty wages ".
Since it was announced and entered into force the new minimum wage of Bs S 1.800 the basic food basket has risen as the CENDAS-FVM more than 20 sovereign thousand bolivars (August data presented in September). More conservative calculations are performed by the Center for Documentation and Analysis for Workers (cendem) http://cenda.org.ve/noticia.asp?id = 176 reported as cost of the basic food basket August 2018, according their definitions and calculation criteria, the amount of B S 7.362,29 (based on a list of foods, goods and services), while the food basket was estimated at Bs.S 5.353,92 for the same month this source. Monthly changes for these baskets are still higher than the 80 %; quickly leaving far behind wages relative to increased cost of living from month to month.

Gonzalo Gómez believes that "if the member of the ANC and former labor minister, Francisco Torrealba will dismiss this data, to be serious would have to provide the relevant official data, but it is a shame that neither the website of the Ministry of Labor has them or is a well kept secret, it is also very embarrassing "..." I urge you to report this as constituent of the ANC that makes it look like someone linked to workers; forming a commission to do the calculation based on the elements of the Consumer Price Index has also disappeared from official statistics ".

Resource plaintiff says that while the government is not serious calculations baskets (Basic and Food) It must be guided by the calculations made from the guilds, also they are consulted about. Therefore calls on trade union and professional organizations to mobilize to demand the calculation and takes into account the basic food basket by the institutions to everything that has to do with the salary matter and expressly requests the TSJ that demands that the national government to properly inform the working class and the whole population.
Gomez offers together with this information note the links for reading the content of the Remedy and formats to join him collectively or individually, as well as a form to collect signatures in support and present them before the Supreme Court and before other state institutions.
Art. 91 the CRBV "Every worker has the right to a wage sufficient to enable it to live with dignity and cover himself and his family for basic material needs, social and intellectual. payment guarantee equal pay for equal work and participation that should pertain to workers in the profit of the company will be fixed. The salary is indefeasible and paid periodically and promptly in legal tender, with the exception of the maintenance obligation, in accordance with the law.

The State guarantees workers the public sector and the private sector a vital minimum wage will be adjusted each year, taking as one of the references the cost of the basic food basket. The law shall establish the form and procedure."

Then the plaintiffs offer Amparo and text formats for Individual and Collective Accession, as well as a text and Worksheet Statement in Support application in defense of Art. 91 CRBV:
Text of the Remedy
Collective Accession format
Format for Individual Membership

Text and return for signatures in support pronouncement
Clarify that each person or organization can develop their own formats without necessarily mentioning Marea Socialista or similar resources can enter your own wording. At the end of the document appear Amparo contact details.

reproduced from Anticapitalist Network