Venezuelan teachers' association denounces chaotic bonus payments, claims 75% excluded

The Central University of Venezuela Teachers Association (Apucv) has denounced the second payment of the Professional Responsibility bonus, calling it "chaotic, arbitrary, and exclusionary." The association claims nearly 75% of the nation's university teaching staff were left without the benefit, a situation that mirrors issues from the first payment on April 30.

Apucv president José Gregorio Afonso stated that the exclusion also affects administrative staff, laborers, and other university professionals. He criticized the Ministry of University Education for attempting to shift blame to the universities, calling their claims about missing payrolls a "fallacy." Afonso asserted that the ministry already possesses the necessary payroll data from the universities, as it is used for other payment processes.

The Ministry of University Education had previously stated that only 33 of the 71 universities in Venezuela submitted the required documentation for the bonus payment. The ministry also indicated it was reviewing the submitted data to correct inconsistencies and ensure pending disbursements. However, Afonso refuted this, emphasizing that university payrolls are already with the ministry. He pointed out that autonomous universities, including the Central University of Venezuela, again saw massive exclusions similar to the first payment.

Apucv estimates that tens of thousands of university workers nationwide are impacted. With a national teaching staff of approximately 97,000 professors, the association believes over 75,000 were excluded from this bonus payment. The situation highlights ongoing disputes over compensation and administrative processes within Venezuela's higher education sector.