Our Labor & Employment Law Practice Group is comprised of a team of lawyers and law clerks practicing in Caracas, Valencia, Maturín, and Puerto La Cruz. In cities of Venezuela where labor lawsuits or claims are likely to occur but where we do not have offices, we have professional relationships with local law firms that help us handle cases.
Our team has vast experience advising and representing employers in the most relevant employment and labor law issues in Venezuela, including compensation and benefit plans and structures, calculation of severance pay and other labor benefits, drafting of employment contracts and settlement agreements, negotiation, drafting and interpretation of collective bargaining agreements, provision of legal advice, representation or assistance in connection with individual and collective labor negotiations and conflicts, provision of legal advice with respect to the hiring, transfer and termination of international and local employees, labor audits and labor-related compliance issues, codes of conduct, internal labor policies, rules and regulations, reorganizations, personnel reductions, outsourcing, occupational health and safety issues, social security and other mandatory social contributions, proceedings before the Ministry of Labor and the Labor Courts, in-house seminars and training courses, and the like.
We have successfully helped companies minimize potential or existing labor liabilities resulting from various contingencies by both advising them about the preventive legal measures that must be taken, and defending them against lawsuits brought by former employees. In the particular case of the Venezuelan oil industry, we have seasoned capabilities in the negotiation of collective agreements and in the handling of other labor issues that are typical to such an industry (e.g., occupational accidents and illnesses). We also have a focused practice committed to defend the interests of employers in employment and labor lawsuits brought under Venezuelan law, which sometimes are presented on a nationwide basis.