Striking Teachers’ Salary Cuts Will be Reinstated in August

This article by Alexia Villaseñor appeared in the July 15, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier leftist daily newspaper.

At the meeting between the dissident teachers in the capital and the Federal Education Authority of Mexico City (AEFCM), it was agreed that the deductions paid to the more than 12,000 teachers for participating in the recent national strike would be reimbursed in the second half of August.

Representatives of sections 9, 10, 11, and 60 of the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) of Mexico City entered the offices of the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) located at 1200 Universidad Avenue, Coyoacán, shortly after 11 a.m. for a roundtable discussion with the head of the capital’s education authority, Luciano Concheiro.

In a press conference following the meeting, Pedro Hernández, the teacher leader of Section 9, stated that the 11-point petition submitted on July 1st was addressed. He indicated that one of the main demands was to know how salary deductions, ranging from 500 to 4,000 pesos, would be reimbursed. Therefore, he emphasized that they provided a list with the details of the affected teachers.

He reported that among the agreements, they will receive a financial incentive divided into two payments, one in August and the other in October, which he considered a victory for the movement in terms of the teachers’ economic situation.

He also indicated that they will hold a meeting with the SEP’s General Directorate of Human Resources and Organization to address the issue of leave for caring for sick children and family members, as well as to consider the possibility of increasing the Christmas bonus, which currently only provides for 40 days, while other states grant up to 90.

After education authorities canceled three meetings with dissident teachers in a two-week period, the capital’s CNTE reiterated its request that the head of the SEP, Mario Delgado, meet with them to establish a tripartite meeting, along with the Secretary of the Interior, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, and the general director of the Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE), Martí Batres.

Hernández considered Monday’s meeting to be partial and that they will not let up. He also announced that during this fortnight they received the retroactive payment announced on May 15. However, he insisted: “The percentages should be disclosed, because they do not correspond to what we received.”

He mentioned that they have established a schedule of meetings this month with each of the sections that make up the so-called Red Tide. At the same time, they will hold a march this Thursday to conclude this phase of the struggle, which will leave the AEFCM Administration and Finance Unit and head to the capital’s Zócalo.