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Oil union threatens strike

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February 17, 2001 

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's largest oil union on Friday threatened to stage a nationwide strike as early as next week to protest unpaid wage increases.

``A new conflict in Venezuela's oil industry is irreversible,'' said Carlos Ortega, the president of Fedepetrol, which is scheduled to meet next in emergency session.

Ortega said state oil monopoloy Petroleos de Venezuela SA has failed to honor a 10 percent wage increase promised to all public sector workers last year by President Hugo Chavez.

He also complained that PDVSA, as the monopoly is known, is trying take back a 1.7-billion bolivar ($2.5 million) advance granted to oil workers during contract negotiations in 2000.

A PDVSA spokesman said the global 10 percent wage hike did not pertain to oil workers and that terms of the labor agreement require oil workers to reimburse the company for advance bonuses after the collective contract is signed.

Oil accounts for almost 80 percent of Venezuela's exports.

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