Mexican teachers block roads and collect tolls in nationwide pension and healthcare protests

Teachers across Mexico are intensifying their protests, staging demonstrations and blocking roads in multiple states to demand reforms to the pension system and better healthcare services from the ISSSTE.

In La Paz, Baja California Sur, members of the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE) Section 3 intermittently blocked two major highway access points. These protests, part of a national movement, aim to pressure authorities for improvements to ISSSTE services and modifications to the current pension system. The blockades caused partial traffic disruptions as teachers allowed vehicles through at intervals.

Meanwhile, in Chiapas, teachers affiliated with the National Coordinating Committee of Education Workers (CNTE) Section 7 have been on strike for 12 days. They occupied a toll booth on the highway connecting Tuxtla Gutiérrez to San Cristóbal de las Casas, charging drivers less than the official rate. The collected funds will be used to transport teachers to a larger protest camp in Mexico City. The teachers are demanding the repeal of educational reforms and changes to the ISSSTE law.

These nationwide mobilizations highlight the ongoing discontent among educators regarding their retirement benefits and healthcare access. The teachers' actions, including road blockades and toll collection, underscore their determination to achieve their demands.