Venezuelan protesters call government wage hike a joke

• About 1,500 protesters in Venezuela protest the wage increase as “insufficient” amid the economic crisis.

Around 1,500 people took to the streets in Caracas on Friday to protest a newly announced 26% increase in Venezuela’s “comprehensive minimum income,” calling it inadequate amid a deepening economic crisis.

The demonstrations came a day after acting president Delcy Rodriguez announced the monthly income would rise from $190 to $240. The package is largely made up of government bonuses that do not count toward pensions or holiday pay.

Protesters marched through the capital chanting “a bonus is not a salary,” as riot police monitored the rally. Smaller demonstrations were also reported in other parts of the country.

Juraina Palacios, a 55-year-old teacher, called the measure “an outrage,” while union leader Franklin Velasquez described it as “a joke” and “a trick.”

The cost of basic needs remains far higher than official income levels, with a family of five estimated to require about $700 per month for food alone, according to local estimates cited by unions.

The government has defended the increase as the most significant in recent years, though it acknowledged it remains insufficient. Rodriguez also linked future improvements to economic reforms and the expansion of Venezuela’s oil and mining sectors, which have attracted renewed foreign investment in recent months.