Mexico City, Mexico – Hundreds of teachers belonging to Mexico’s National Coordinating Council of Educational Workers (CNTE) have entered their fourth day of nationwide strike, paralyzing much of the Mexican capital.
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Protests against pension reform intensified on Wednesday when protesters broke into the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) headquarters, damaging government buildings and injuring at least two police officers.
With no end in sight to negotiations between union representatives and authorities, ongoing protests threaten to disrupt the World Cup, which opens a week from today.
The union blocked highways linking Mexico City with nearby cities, vandalized public monuments and set up a large encampment a few blocks from the presidential palace.
CNTE is deploying measures simultaneously in at least four provinces, with more regions expected to join in the future.
CNTE’s core demand is to undermine a 2007 reform of a law passed by Mexico’s social security agency that dismantled solidarity-based pension systems and moved workers into individually managed personal accounts. Teachers are also demanding a 100% pay increase and the abolition of USICAMM, the agency that oversees teacher recruitment and promotion.
Negotiations were held jointly by Government Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez, Education Minister Mario Delgado and ISSSTE Secretary General, but no agreement has been reached so far.
The three officials received formal authority from President Claudia Sheinbaum to conduct and conclude negotiations on behalf of the government, despite the CNTE’s demands for a direct meeting with the president.
Secretary Rodríguez said the state’s ability to grant concessions is limited by fiscal constraints. “If we can’t do it, it’s not because of lack of will, but because of lack of budget.”
Filiberto Frausto Orozco, CNTE leader in Zacatecas, warned that “there will be no more negotiations” if the government rejects their demands.
The union also threatened to disrupt the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony at the Estadio Ciudad de Mexico on June 11.
Earlier this week, teachers blocked Paseo de la Reforma and toppled statues of soccer players installed to promote the tournament.
Sheinbaum campaigned on promises to address teachers’ labor grievances, but after a year and a half in office, her government has yet to roll back pension reform that the CNTE has long called for.
On the street, regular teachers say they are ready for the long game. Saray López Alamillo, who has been involved in the classroom for six years and is an active CNTE member, expressed full support for the union’s expansion strategy.
“At school we talked about it and we are ready to fight this fight to the end,” she said. Latin America Report.
For many teachers, the cost of protesting is immediate and personal. The government cuts teachers’ wages for each day they miss class during protests.
López Alamillo knows this firsthand. “Last year, they deducted 3,000 to 4,000 pesos from my salary for almost eight consecutive pay periods.”
The teacher added that the loss has directly damaged her ability to cover basic household expenses.
For some teachers, these deductions are enough to stay home. For others, like López Alamillo, the financial punishment will only sharpen their resolve.
With negotiations deadlocked and the World Cup opening just a week away, the standoff is entering a crisis phase. Neither side showed any signs of giving in.
Featured image caption: Union workers march in Mexico City this week.
Featured image source: CNTE via Facebook.
