In Venezuela, labor and employment anti-discrimination rules do not extend to interns and volunteers unless their contracts explicitly acknowledge equal treatment. The Organic Labor Law (the “LOTTT”) provides protection for any individual under an employment relationship.
Therefore the issue here is to determine who is an employee and who is not. The LOTTT states that
On October 18, the President of the Republic published Decree Nº 503 (the Decree), establishing an increase of 10% in the minimum salary for public and private sector workers from November 1, 2013, using the 2013 National Consumer Price Index (INPC) as a reference. Below you will find our comments on the most relevant aspects
Venezuela’s minimum salary for the day shift is Bs. 2,702.73 as of September 1, 2013, which represents the 10% increase established in Article 1 b) of the Minimum Wage Decree Nº 30 (Decree).
This Decree came into effect on April 30, 2013 and its general implications were commented by Juan Carlos Pró-Rísquez, Esther Cecilia
As new wage and hour or work-schedule regulations have been recently brought fully into effect, employers face risks of being sanctioned in case the Ministry of Labour and Social Security finds that such rules have been breached.
In fact, the duration of the ordinary work period as of May 7, 2013 may not exceed 40