DistantNews
Support us
Culture Ministry workers reject moving into building damaged by 2017 earthquakes
🇲🇽 Mexico /Culture & Society

Culture Ministry workers reject moving into building damaged by 2017 earthquakes

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Around 50 workers from Mexico's Secretariat of Culture protested in Mexico City due to safety concerns at their assigned building.
  • The building, located at Dinamarca 84, reportedly sustained damage in the 2017 earthquakes and lacks current structural and civil protection assessments.
  • Workers demand official reports guaranteeing the building's safety before they will return to work, citing issues like intermittent internet and malfunctioning elevators.

Around 50 workers from the Secretariat of Culture protested in Mexico City, blocking streets near Chapultepec and Dinamarca, due to severe safety concerns at their assigned building. The protest, which began early Tuesday, involved employees from various states including Coahuila, Chiapas, Morelos, Veracruz, Jalisco, Puebla, and the State of Mexico.

The closure of the property is a preventive, legitimate, and peaceful measure, derived from the omission of the responsible authorities in not guaranteeing minimum conditions of labor safety.

— Sindicato Nacional Democrático de Trabajadores de la Secretaría de CulturaThe union explained the reasoning behind their protest and building closure.

Maritza Hernández, a union executive, explained that the building at Dinamarca 84 suffered damage during the 2017 earthquakes. Despite this, employees were recently asked to return to work there after previously operating from a different site. The union stated, "The closure of the property is a preventive, legitimate, and peaceful measure, derived from the omission of the responsible authorities in not guaranteeing minimum conditions of labor safety."

The union's protest call highlighted that "THERE IS NO STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT NOR CURRENT CIVIL PROTECTION ASSESSMENT, which puts the physical integrity of the workers at risk." Employees also reported numerous issues within the building, including malfunctioning bathrooms, intermittent internet service, and poorly functioning elevators. One worker described the building as "tilted," with chairs reportedly sliding on their own.

THERE IS NO STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT NOR CURRENT CIVIL PROTECTION ASSESSMENT, which puts the physical integrity of the workers at risk.

— Sindicato Nacional Democrático de Trabajadores de la Secretaría de CulturaThe union's call for protest detailed the lack of safety documentation.

Workers have requested a structural assessment and a civil protection document from Armando Orozco Vidrio, the head of Human Resources. The head of the Administrative Unit of Finance reportedly acknowledged that no such assessment exists. The workers have vowed not to return until these official documents are provided, ensuring the building's safety.

The building is tilted, it seems the chairs come alive because there is a space where when you stand up the chairs go by themselves to a corner.

— a workerA worker described the physical anomalies observed in the building.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog