The mining industry in Venezuela

You probably remember stories in your childhood about miners who went to the mines to earn a living in precarious conditions, charging little so that the antagonists of the story were enriched as a result of their efforts. Miners' lives used to be dangerous because the working conditions weren't right… working underground shouldn't be the best job in the world. The Venezuelan mining industry knows this well, and without the need to resort to stories, but to real life.

Stories are fictions that normally have nothing to do with reality, for this reason it is important to bear in mind that reality can many times exceed fiction. Do not miss below how the mining industry is currently in the country of Venezuela. 

Oil in Venezuela

Oil, as you may already know, is one of the main products that Venezuela has, it is a raw material that for a decade is what has helped the country's economic progress. It was especially in the decade of the 70s when the hydrocarbon industry began to have more importance.

Over time, the Union of Petroleum Exporting Countries was created and Venezuela from the beginning was and is a member. Currently most of the oil export market is derived to the United States since Venezuela produces an average of a thousand barrels of oil per day just for the American market. But we cannot forget that Venezuela also exports its oil to many other markets such as Europe, Mexico and Mercosur.

Other types of important resources in Venezuela

Although it is true that oil is the most important raw material for Venezuela, we cannot step down to other raw materials that are also important and help the country's economic development at the same time. The South American country of Venezuela also has other important resources such as metals and mining.

The metals and mining industry is being legislated because it is growing very fast and the prices of metals such as gold are also growing, something that is undoubtedly beneficial for the country.

The mining industry

The mining industry is undoubtedly one of the most complex since large investments are needed to be able to exploit the mining areas. In addition, there is also a great pollution in the environment and the conditions of the workers continue to be just as precarious as when they told us children's stories.

Currently Venezuela does not have legislation on mining, But a series of laws are being carried out to approve them so that mining exploitation in Venezuela can be regularized. In this way it would not be carried out illegally or by private companies with their specific objectives regardless of anything other than their pockets. In addition, another reason why legalization and the establishment of laws is necessary is that in this way it will be possible to fight for the conditions of the workers.

Although it seems the opposite, the majority of mining exploitation in Venezuela is almost 40% by independent companies, usually foreigners and the remaining 60% are individuals who exploit the land clandestinely in order to enrich themselves at the expense of the country. For all this it is also important to legislate as soon as possible so that all mining resources, especially precious metals and diamonds, will be nationalized and the state will have absolute power over them.

Venezuelans flock to the gold mines to overcome the crisis

Despite the deadly risks, Venezuelans flock to the gold mines to escape the economic crisis. Since the beginning of 2016, the price of gold around the world has increased.

In Venezuela, the current monthly minimum wage is 15.000 bolivars, which is the equivalent of just over 1300 euros. In the mining industry, employers know that the conditions in the mines are not adequate, but they hide behind saying that this way, newcomers to the mines to work will gain experience and have a salary that will allow them to live.

But depending on the salary that the workers earn, sometimes they must give a percentage of their salaries to the mine bosses because they use part of that money to alleviate the criminals who benefit by extorting the miners, since they lack security to be able to work adequately.

The level of gang problems that there may be in mining is so great that a long time ago Venezuela was surprised when there was a massacre of 17 miners. Who would want to kill 17 workers who were looking for life? Based on this news, there were investigations and consequences for this massacre, since it shocked the entire country.

If the lack of regulation in mining in Venezuela continues, there will continue to be problems as it will continue to be illegal. If it were at least regulated, miners could sell the gold they find to the government, with more order and fewer security concerns. The government could even tax the miners and invest the money in making tools to make their work less dangerous and even invest the money in city streets, hospitals, electricity, needs of citizens, in security and education.

Although the mines give a lot of money, if it is not regulated and there are laws that can guarantee order and security, it is likely that there will continue to be problems between people, deaths, crime, gangs, fear, insecurity ... Money can bring joy to the most terrible people or penalties because of greed or envy. For this reason, mining in Venezuela could be a great resource if there were the joint concern of society and the government to be able to normalize this whole situation.