Confederación de Trabajadores de Venezuela

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**CTV**

Venezuelan Confederation of Workers
Confederación de Trabajadores de Venezuela
Founded	1936
Country	Venezuela
Affiliation	ITUC
Office location	Caracas, Venezuela
Website	www.ctv.org.ve

CTV symbol

The Confederación de Trabajadores de Venezuela (CTV, English: Confederation of Workers of Venezuela) is a federation of labor unions in Venezuela. CTV is the major trade union body in the country. It has close links to the Democratic Action party. CTV is generally identified as the leading union body in the country. CTV is has been accused of being corrupt and tied to the old political elite.^{[citation needed]}

The union federation has been a consistent and key opponent of Venezulean President Hugo Chávez. In the year 2001, two years after his first election to President, Chávez's government ordered the union federation to undertake its first-ever direct leadership elections. Although the Supreme Court refused to certify the results, the winner Carlos Ortega assumed the presidency. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) condemned Chávez's interference in the affairs of free trade unions.

Since that date, the CTV has participated in four general strikes in an attempt to dislodge Chávez from power, including one which resulted in a coup attempt.

In 2002 and 2003, the CTV received funding from the United States' National Endowment for Democracy via the American Center for International Labor Solidarity.

In 2003, a new union federation, the Union Nacional de los Trabajadores (UNT, National Union of Workers) was started by people in the labor movement who supported Chávez. Some unions disaffiliated with the CTV and affiliated with the UNT.