732 days of strike in Notimex

The president has been lit by several new fires in recent weeks: the issue of his son, the war with Loret and the media, the murders of journalists, and the position of the United States regarding the electrical reform. Increasingly intense and numerous fires can end up setting fire to the 4T forest. There is a pyre that has been going on for two years and that reveals the arbitrary and authoritarian spirit that fuels a labor conflict within the government and that has not received due public attention. It is the strike at Notimex that is already 732 days old. An unprecedented duration that clearly reflects the lack of will to want to solve this work stoppage.

The short story is as follows: On March 21, 2019, at the proposal of the president, the Senate appointed Sanjuana Martínez as director of the government news agency Notimex. She, a noted investigative journalist who won several awards, especially one of hers for her reporting on clerical pedophilia in the country, seemed like a sensible appointment. But very soon the line that the director should have received from the presidency was seen: to cleanse the entity of reporters and personnel perceived as opposed to the 4T to directly control the agency. The dismantling began: Sanjuana irregularly fired massively 245 employees, including reporters, correspondents, editors and photographers; it closed many correspondent offices abroad from a wide network that it had in the American continent and Europe, and appointed personnel loyal to it, many without preparation. But López Obrador’s plan to control this media agency did not take into account that the nearly 225 unionized employees (of a total of 380), would resist arbitrariness, calling a strike that broke out in February 2020. The union argues the violation of the contract labor collective, initiated 85 labor lawsuits and accused the director of unjustified dismissals, despotism and workplace harassment. Notimex’s operations have been suspended since June of the same year. But Sanjuana and her trusted staff take their salary and, albeit in a limited way, illegally use the facilities for what little work they can do.

In these two years, dialogue tables have been established to resolve the conflict, but without progress. It’s been several months without any table. The strikers have already posted several times outside the National Palace asking to be heard in the morning, but they have been denied access. In July 2021, Jesús Ramírez issued an ultimatum to the union to accept his conditions, but the latter considered them inadmissible and ignored Sanjuana as an interlocutor due to the accusations made. It is worth mentioning that all the awards favorable to the workers were obtained.

López Obrador turns his back on the government workers themselves. It is a resistance struggle where the government clearly intends not to give in. Here is another unlikely conflict with journalists, in violation of labor rights. 732 days and counting… (Consulted sources: Proceso, various internet sites and @sutnotimex)

Twitter: @frubli