Do not mess with miners.

If you upset them to a critical point, they go on the streets and destroy everything in front of them. Usually when they go on streets, they get drunk, taking with them their mining equipment and kill and destroy everything in front of them.

Nobody can stop them (police, army, etc).

Miners stay together and they listen their leader, they are very loyal to each other

Romania had a case back in ’90 (for a different cause). When they are called by their leader to go on the streets, they make sure to bring all the mining truck, heavy equipment and lot of alcohol.

Better Chavez do something proactive for those people before is too late for him.