Mexican Teachers Block Roads, Occupy Toll Booths in Pension Law Protest

Teachers belonging to the National Union of Education Workers (CNTE) launched protests across several Mexican states on Tuesday, June 9. They blocked roads and occupied toll booths to demand the repeal of the 2007 ISSSTE law, which they argue undermines retirement conditions.

In Cuernavaca, over 4,000 teachers marched, causing significant traffic disruptions in the city center. Their core demand, according to Julita Villalba, spokesperson for the Movement of Bases Teachers (MMB), is to abolish the individual accounts system and reinstate a solidarity pension model. Villalba stated that while modifications to the AFORE system are proposed, teachers seek a system that guarantees better retirement benefits.

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The central demand is to eliminate the individual accounts system and return to the solidarity pension regime.

The educators urged President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration to demonstrate its proclaimed humanistic approach by addressing their long-ignored demands. The movement announced further actions, including a march from El Calvario to the Zócalo in Cuernavaca on Wednesday and another from Plan de Ayala to the city center on Thursday. A group will also travel to Mexico City to support national protests.

In Zacatecas, teachers from Section 34 of the SNTE joined the national protest by taking over four toll booths, allowing free passage for vehicles. These actions, which began at 8 a.m. on Thursday, are expected to continue until after 2 p.m. The teachers, affiliated with the Democratic Movement of Teachers of Zacatecas (MDMZ) and the CNTE, are prepared for ongoing action based on national agreements. They have also maintained a strike in federalized schools since June 1 and a sit-in outside the Government Palace.

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We demand that the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum demonstrate the humanistic character it has proclaimed and address a demand that has been ignored.