Ei-iE

Job security has become one of the main achievements of the SNTE education workers union in Mexico. Thanks to the permanent programme for granting tenure to teachers agreed on with the federal government over 800,000 teaching positions have been regularised throughout the country in recent months.

Under the programme, education workers will be eligible for permanent contracts after six months on the job. Over 55,000 tenure certificates are set to be issued by the end of March, which will provide stable employment for teachers who entered the profession in August and September last year.

To speed up the process, the union has been working in tandem with the Ministry of Education to identify teachers that meet the legal requirements for tenure. The information is passed on to the federal education institutions concerned, which are then able to issue the corresponding certificates within their area of competence.

The general secretary of the SNTE, Alfonso Cepeda, described the granting of tenure as “an act of justice”, enabling education workers to enjoy guaranteed rights. “That wellbeing is reflected in their performance in the classroom. What we have achieved not only benefits teachers, it also benefits our public schools and our society,” said Cepeda.