TIJUANA—“WORKING UNDER PROTEST” declares a banner of the National Union of the Mexican Postal Service Workers in Baja California. “Enough,” demands the union, “with workers paying with their own money for repairs, gasoline, and supplies to be able to serve their clients!”
Soon, workers may move beyond working under protest. Spurred on by economic grievances, inadequate equipment, and management violations of their collective agreement, Mexican postal workers are threatening their first-ever strike action in the history of the national postal service (Sepomex).
Initially slated for International Workers’ Day – May 1st – the strike has been temporarily delayed by a government-brokered agreement. In the course of mediation proceedings, the Federal Labor Tribunal has directed the parties to continue negotiations and delayed any potential strike until May 28th. As the price of delaying their walk-off, workers gained valuable concessions from the employer.
Concessions extracted during the course of mediation include the acquisition of helmets, satchels, and saddlebags for letter carriers, plus a commitment to purchase 3,000 new motorcycles, with new requirements for repair servicing and safety features.
Another commitment for the immediate addition of 300 jobs and a total of 2,500 new positions by 2030 will expand the footprint of the union, which has lost ground over the years as member retirements and resignations outpace hiring and replacement.
Postal bosses also agreed to begin renovation of aging and unhygienic facilities across the country, and to present a comprehensive response to other outstanding demands.
The union accuses the postal administration of bargaining in bad faith by sending officials without actual negotiating power to the table. To ensure compliance with the new concessions, the union is demanding written confirmation of the agreements from federal mediation in exchange for honoring the one-month stay on strike activity.
With several equipment, facilities, and hiring demands now met, many postal workers commenting online claim that a wage increase remains their “paramount” concern in negotiations.
Squeezed by market pressures, workers’ wages and bonuses have stagnated over the years, lagging behind broader increases tied to rapid minimum wage hikes. While the legal minimum wage now stands at 315 pesos per day, some letter carriers are earning as little as 236 pesos per day, less than $15.
Deeper changes are also propelling the historic clash. During the neoliberal turn, postal services were decentralized in 1986, deepening competition with private carriers and limiting wage gains. At the same time, ongoing revitalization among union activists and progressive labor law reforms are opening up new breathing space for militancy.
According to the union, more than 10,000 members are on standby to participate in the job action, potentially impacting millions of mail and parcel deliveries at over 3,800 installations.
Invoking Mexican workers’ constitutional right to strike, the union has called upon all members to remain “united, vigilant, and organized” as the confrontation approaches. “Let none be intimidated; our movement is legitimate, legal, and just.”
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