Mexico: job security for teachers
Responding to the demands of Mexican teachers, the general secretary of the SNTE (national education workers’ union), Alfonso Cepeda Salas, and the public education minister, Delfina Gómez Álvarez, awarded 44,642 permanent positions to some 36,000 education workers in Mexico City.
During the ceremony, the head of the Public Education Secretariat acknowledged the work of the teachers and the union, describing the event as a historic act of justice for those who have long been demanding the right to job security, which in turn guarantees the right to education for children. Teacher and SNTE general secretary Cepeda Salas agreed with the education secretary that the granting of tenure is indeed an act of justice, with this right, tirelessly promoted by the education union, now being enjoyed by members who had long been hired on successive fixed-term or temporary contracts, some for over 26 years.
Cepeda Salas said: “The greatest need of any worker is job security, because it is the foundation on which the path of each individual is built and on which, together, we build a better future for public education. Tenure is a fundamental right that opens doorways for us in terms of career development, promotion prospects, recognition, social security, employee benefits and pay, along with the other historical gains we have won.”
Other recent achievements for Mexican teachers have been the pay increases granted nationwide and priority vaccination.
