People’s Mañanera February 16

ByPedro Gellert

Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries, translated by Mexico Solidarity’s Pedro Gellert Frank. Previous press conference summaries are available here.

Boxing for Peace: Sports to Address Root Causes

President Claudia Sheinbaum presented the Boxing for Peace program, a strategy partnering with the World Boxing Council and the Youth Building the Future (Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro) program, in which 5,000 professional boxers will serve as community tutors, delivering free classes daily.

The boxers will receive a monthly scholarship/stipend of 9,582 pesos (US$558) and IMSS health insurance while training 100,000 children and young people. The program will continue in 2026 and expand throughout the current presidential administration, prioritizing crime prevention and the population’s well-being.

Mexico with the Lowest Unemployment in the OECD

Sheinbaum noted that Mexico maintains the lowest unemployment rate in the OECD, at levels equal to or below 3%, on par with economies such as Japan and Korea. While other countries have seen increases in unemployment, Mexico’s performance is marked by stability and job creation. It also ranks among the lowest in youth unemployment.

Order with Dialogue, Not Media Shows

The President discussed the police operation against street vendors in the Cuauhtémoc municipality in Mexico City, led by opposition mayor Alessandra Rojo. Sheinbaum emphasized that street sales must be regulated through roundtable dialogues, direct work with vendors, and formal administrative processes. She recalled her experience as head of the Tlalpan municipality and Head of Mexico City Government, insisting that order is built with dialogue and responsibility, not media shows.

40-Hour Labor Reform: Rights, Not Privileges

Following the historic Senate vote on codifying the 40-hour workweek, the President’s commitment to reducing the workday advances. The Minister of Labor was clear: the reform does not cut wages, does not increase overtime hours, nor affect the numbers of days off.

In response to the PRI’s abstention on the bill, Sheinbaum declared they are not in favor of labor rights and today defend privileges, not the working people.