Since late May, teachers affiliated with Section 33 of the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE) have been conducting marches, mobilizations, and street blockades to demand a salary increase.
To pressure their representative, who has consistently evaded them, teachers are taking turns staying in the union’s headquarters building in Mérida. They aim to intercept their representative, who has avoided visiting this location for several weeks.
“We had a dialogue with national representatives, and our colleagues at the base decided to conduct guard shifts,” explained teacher Mauricio Canul, one of the leaders of the movement. “However, we haven’t received a positive response, no communication has been established to schedule a meeting, and the secretary general hasn’t attended.”
Teachers insist that a meeting with their representative is necessary for him to take on their demands for better salaries and benefits, which will be negotiated as part of the conditions for teachers in the coming months.
A teacher lamented that they have been photographed at dawn, allegedly intended to intimidate them and force them to leave. However, education workers reiterated that they will continue waiting for their representative’s arrival until an agreement is reached. Since late May, teachers affiliated with Section 33 of SNTE have been conducting marches, mobilizations, and street blockades to demand a 30% salary increase, 90 days’ worth of bonuses, and an end-of-year bonus. They recalled that on June 20, alongside federal government representatives, they established a dialogue table where it was agreed that the next administration address their demands.
