Education ministries in seven Mexican states have initiated administrative proceedings to deduct pay for days not worked by teachers from the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) who have not been teaching during the national strike that began on June 1, according to Elvira Veleces, General Secretary of Section 14 in Guerrero.
She stated that these actions do not comply with a document signed by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum a year ago, which allowed teachers to protest freely without having any salary deducted.
After a meeting at the Ministry of the Interior (Segob), Veleces said that the states where local educational authorities are carrying out these measures are San Luis Potosí, Veracruz, Sonora, Baja California, Chiapas, Mexico City, and Jalisco.
She explained that during today’s meeting, the CNTE requested that Mario Delgado, Secretary of Public Education (SEP), sign a letter committing to halt these actions against teachers in the seven states.
However, she said that Delgado distanced himself from the situation and claimed he was unaware of these actions, stating that he would need to discuss the matter with the local education secretaries.
“What cannot be done is because of a lack of budget, not a lack of willingness,” Segob told the CNTE.
Veleces added that these actions come on top of what she described as other forms of political pressure against Sections 9, 10, 11, and 60 in Mexico City. During previous strikes, the local educational authority reportedly deducted pay from 20,000 workers, resulting in up to 40 million pesos in unpaid wages.
Source: oem
