ILO Governing Body, 353rd session
10 March – 20 March 2025
Developments in the full implementation by the Government of Venezuela of the agreed plan of action
GB.353/INS/8
EU statement
Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania[1], Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Georgia, the EFTA countries Norway member of the European Economic Area and Switzerland, align themselves with this statement.
The EU and its Member States are committed to the respect, protection and fulfilment of labour rights. Universal ratification and effective implementation of fundamental ILO Conventions and the ILO’s supervisory mechanism are essential in this endeavour. In this light, we regret the rejection by the Venezuelan authorities of the Governing Body decision taken in November 2024.
We thank the Director-General for the report on the implementation of the action plan addressing the Commission of Inquiry's recommendations on Conventions Nos 26, 87, and 144.
We remain deeply concerned about state of civic space and the labour rights situation in Venezuela, particularly regarding Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise. All acts of repression against dissenting voices must stop. The EU calls on the authorities to end arbitrary detentions and to release unconditionally all political prisoners, including trade unionists. We condemn the continued threats faced by trade unions and employers’ organizations and reiterate the need to guarantee their independence, autonomy, and protection.
The independence of the judiciary is crucial. We call for action on pending allegations of violations of civil liberties and trade union rights, and for ensuring fair trials, reparations, and the reinstatement of those proven innocent.
We welcome the fact that tripartite meetings on minimum wage consultation have taken place in Venezuela since the November GB. We encourage the authorities to build on the current process by increasing transparency and including ILO experts in person. We call on the authorities of Venezuela to ensure a sufficiently informed social dialogue process with a view to achieving concrete results with urgency. Furthermore, we echo the call of the social partners to the authorities to organize the fifth Social Dialogue Forum at the earliest opportunity.
We are concerned about the reported lack of engagement with the ILO by the authorities of Venezuela. We deeply regret that Venezuelan authorities have not arranged for the ILO special advisor to attend any relevant meetings. We urge the authorities to facilitate special adviser Ramos’ return to Venezuela to ensure continuity and effectiveness of ILO technical support.
We call on the Venezuelan authorities to translate their expressions of willingness into tangible action. We strongly urge the authorities to fully accept and implement the Commission of Inquiry’s recommendations, to meaningfully and effectively collaborate with the ILO Office, and to re-establish the ILO special adviser’s presence in the country.
We support the decision point.
Thank you Chair.
[1]North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process