President Nicolás Maduro reaffirmed this Tuesday from Caracas the central role of the labor movement in the country’s productive transformation and ordered the immediate activation of the national coastal defense in response to external threats against Venezuela.

During the swearing-in plenary session of the Workers’ Constituent Assembly Promotion Commission, the president highlighted the importance of the Workers’ Productive Councils (CPTT) as the cornerstone of the socialist model and asserted the productive consciousness of the working class in the face of the blockade imposed by the United States.

Strengthening workers’ power

“Our formula is the Workers’ Productive Council. There are 4,360 CPTTs established in private, public, and mixed-use companies. This is no small feat; it’s our experience, and we must value it to improve and expand it ,” the head of state stated.

Maduro recalled that the CPTTs, created in 2017, were key to the nation’s economic recovery after the toughest years of the blockade. “Imperialism believed that sanctions would make us surrender, but what we did was work, invent, and create ,” he emphasized.

The president urged constructive self-criticism within the labor movement , with the goal of perfecting socialist management mechanisms and consolidating national production under principles of sovereignty and social justice.

Activation of national defense

In parallel, the president announced the start of the military exercises “Defense of the Coast Independence 200 ,” a 72-hour operation with simultaneous deployment of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), the Militia, and police forces along the Venezuelan coast .

Maduro said the maneuver began at midnight on his direct orders, and “at 3 a.m. they already gave me the report: 100 percent of all the country’s coasts were covered with equipment and heavy weapons to defend sovereignty if necessary.”

The deployment, which encompasses 73 central points and more than 700 operational positions, includes anti-aircraft systems and rapid response units. The president expressed his gratitude for the international cooperation of allied countries, including Russia and China, in providing defense equipment.

The head of state denounced an imperialist psychological warfare campaign against Venezuela and reaffirmed the people’s determination to confront the threats.

The president emphasized that the FANB and the working class share the same mission: to guarantee peace, sovereignty, and national stability. “Today we are stronger than ever, at the grassroots, in the streets, and in the factories; true workers’ power is always being built,” he stated.