Venezuelan Government Employees to Work Two Days a Week

On Tuesday, the Venezuelan government ordered public sector employees to work only two days a week to save energy. Venezuela, a member of OPEC, is facing a severe economic crisis and electricity shortages. According to Reuters, President Nicolas Maduro had previously granted 2.8 million public sector employees Fridays off in April and May to reduce energy consumption. In his weekly televised speech on Tuesday, Maduro stated, "Starting tomorrow, for at least two weeks, we will give public sector employees Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays off." Drought has caused water reserves at the Guri Dam, the country's main power generation facility, to drop to dangerously low levels. This dam supplies about two-thirds of Venezuela's electricity. The severe water shortage and continuous power outages have exacerbated the problems faced by the 30 million population of Venezuela, which has been struggling with the consequences of a severe economic recession, shortages of essential goods and medicines, staggering inflation, and long lines for basic necessities. Nicolas Maduro, who became president after Hugo Chavez's death in 2013 and faces intense opposition pressure to be ousted, urged the public to understand the dire conditions in the country and support the government's actions. He mentioned that the Guri Dam has effectively turned into a desert, and through these measures, they aim to save it. He added that the water level at the dam is decreasing from 20 to 10 centimeters per day. After months of irregular power outages, the government has begun a power rationing plan across most of the country, excluding Caracas, which has led to protests by opposition groups in some cities. The Venezuelan president also changed the official time to add half an hour of daylight in the evening. He urged women to reduce the use of appliances like hair dryers and instructed large shopping centers to provide separate power generators. The reduced workdays for public sector employees do not apply to sensitive departments such as those related to food. Despite working only two days a week, full salaries will still be paid to them. Opposition parties have strongly criticized this government plan, arguing that it will severely reduce the country's productivity and will not lead to any savings, as people will stay home instead of working and will continue to use electrical appliances. Leonardo Padron, a columnist for the opposition-aligned newspaper 'El Nacional,' humorously tweeted, "Nicolas Maduro says we are never idle in the government. Except for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday." Government officials claim that the severe electricity shortages in Venezuela are due to the El Niño weather phenomenon. However, critics accuse the government of poor investments, financial and political corruption, inefficiency, and inability to utilize various energy resources.