The Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce (Spanish: Federación de Cámaras y Asociaciones de Comercio y Producción de Venezuela) or Fedecámaras is composed of chambers of commerce (cámara in Spanish) in twelve basic trade groups: banking, agriculture, commerce, construction, energy, manufacturing, media, mining, ranching, insurance, transportation, and tourism.
In practice, the intended function of Fedecámaras is to act as a cartel controlling these sectors of the Venezuelan economy, setting wages and working conditions within each respective trade. Fedecámaras enforces these conditions by several means, including strikes against their aggregate employees to enforce wages and conditions. The cámaras also seek to informally control the amount of competition they will allow into each trade by controlling membership, and the rights enjoyed by members.
This organization is at political odds with the current Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez. During a failed coup d'état against him in April 2002, former Fedecámaras president Pedro Carmona assumed the role of interim de facto president of Venezuela for two days.
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