SNTE teacher union pension and labor disputes

The National Union of Education Workers (SNTE) is facing internal and external pressures regarding teacher benefits and labor stability in Mexico.

In Chihuahua, Gabriela Domínguez Franco, Finance Secretary for SNTE Section 42, has accused former union administrations of remaining silent about a pension crisis. She stated that the inaction of previous leaders regarding the 2013 pension law reform has compromised the retirement schemes of 1,064 state teachers. Domínguez Franco criticized former officials for “trafficking with their hope and certainty” while defending the current leadership’s efforts toward transparency.

At the national level, SNTE General Secretary Alfonso Cepeda Salas has pledged to defend teacher rights for the upcoming school cycle. He indicated that the union intends to negotiate with authorities to establish a new pension system and improve salaries. Cepeda Salas noted that President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo recognizes the SNTE as the legal representative for teachers and administrative staff under the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP), emphasizing a path of negotiation.

Labor disputes have intensified in several regions. In Yucatán, educators have expressed frustration over the lack of permanent teaching positions and have voiced opposition to proposals by Secretary of Public Education Mario Delgado to bring in teachers from Cuba. In Morelos, a payment crisis affecting educators in the DGETI and DGETAyCM subsystems has triggered a work stoppage, impacting over 20,000 students. Union leader Joel Sánchez Vélez delivered a petition to President Sheinbaum regarding these unpaid wages. Meanwhile, in Zacatecas, SNTE Section 58 leader Marcelino Rodarte has requested a tripartite negotiation table involving federal and state authorities to resolve regional educational demands.