Businesses Strike Against Maduro in Venezuela

Opposition leaders backed widespread business strikes in Venezuela on October 28 in order to protest the government of President Nicolas Maduro, which has been increasingly blamed for the country’s economic woes. In response to the opposition’s requests, some businesses and shops closed down temporarily to facilitate the strike, paralyzing economic activity in certain areas of the country, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The strikes have played out against the backdrop of a national electoral council’s refusal to authorize a referendum, which would have enabled the opposition to oust President Maduro through legal means. Opposition members in the government have also called for Maduro’s indictment in court and have urged supporters to participate in demonstrations against the Maduro administration.

In response to the business strikes, the government  threatened to seize businesses that heeded the commands of the opposition. It also urged businesses to continue working, and, in some cases, dispatched agents to monitor companies and ensure their compliance before the strikes began.

A large proportion of businesses obeyed the government’s directives, either out of fear of coercion or for purely economic reasons. Sergio Dos Santos, a cafeteria owner, remarked, “if we don’t open, the government will handcuff us. I think that 80 percent of the businesses that opened today did so out of fear.” Taxi driver Victor Mayor also commented on the strikes, stating in an interview with the New York Times that “it seems crazy [to go on strike] because if I don’t work, I don’t produce.”

The absence of  individuals such as Santos and Mayor have led the government to declare victory against the strike, as the demonstrations also failed to result in any practical benefits  for the opposition.

The opposition’s pivot toward supporting a business strike represents a new phase in the movement against Maduro, but the strikes themselves are not a new tactic. The opposition employed similar tactics against the late Hugo Chavez, Maduro’s predecessor, whose administration was much more successful and popular. However, the recent strikes seem to have backfired for the opposition because some Venezuelans have perceived them to be counterproductive under current circumstances of food and medicine shortage, during which any decrease in daily income will have a crucial effect on a worker’s well-being.

Nevertheless, the opposition remains optimistic about its prospects, claiming that the strikes comprised symbolic gestures that mobilized popular sentiment against Maduro. The consultancy firm Hercón claims that 76 percent of all Venezuelans favored the strikes, though not all of them could leave work to attend the demonstrations.

The strikes conclude yet another clash between the opposition and pro-Maduro forces, and the opposition’s struggle to oust Maduro continues amid worsening economic conditions. Reflecting on this in her Twitter account, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado stated, “This is not the time to surrender; this is the time to move forward.”