CNTE Maintains Pressure in Mexico City: Sit-in and Demands Without Direct Dialogue with Sheinbaum

The National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) will continue its sit-in at Mexico City's Zócalo and various demonstrations on May 24 and 25, 2025, to reiterate its labor demands and the repeal of education reforms. There has been no recent direct dialogue with President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has delegated the talks to federal secretariats and has questioned the teachers' protest methods.

The standoff between the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) and the federal government continues to shape the political and social agenda in Mexico City. During this weekend of May 24 and 25, 2025, dissident teachers maintained their protest on the Zócalo square in Mexico City and held various assemblies and rallies as part of their national day of struggle.

The central demands of the CNTE have not changed and focus on:

• The repeal of the ISSSTE Law of 2007.
• The cancellation of what they call the "Peña-AMLO" Education Reform.
• A 100% salary increase directly to the base salary and equalization of benefits.
• The reinstatement of dismissed teachers.
• A bigger budget for education and health.
• The elimination of the Measurement and Update Unit (UMA) for calculating pensions.

To exert pressure, the CNTE has carried out high-impact actions in recent days, such as the blockade of access to Mexico City International Airport (AICM) on May 23, which caused chaos and affected thousands of travelers. Blockades have also been reported on major avenues such as Paseo de la Reforma and Insurgentes, even using Metrobús buses. This Saturday, May 24, various CNTE sections, such as the IX, held assemblies to define the next steps.

The response of the Federal Government, led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, has been to keep channels of dialogue open, but not directly with the president. Negotiations have been delegated to the heads of the Ministry of the Interior (SEGOB) and the Ministry of Public Education (SEP). Both agencies have reiterated their willingness to engage in dialogue and have reported that a decree is being worked on to address some of the teachers' demands.

However, President Sheinbaum has publicly questioned the CNTE's tactics and the impact of its mobilizations. "Why are they doing all this? There are things that aren't right," the President reportedly declared, and she has avoided meeting directly with the Coordinator's leaders. This stance has been interpreted by the CNTE as a "mockery" and a sign of the government's "turning a deaf ear," which has contributed to maintaining the tension.

The Mexico City government, through the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC) and the C5 (National Council of Five), has focused on monitoring the protests and managing road disruptions. No specific statements have been made by Mayor Martí Batres or Secretary of State Ricardo Ruiz Suárez regarding direct negotiations with the CNTE in recent hours, reinforcing the perception that the conflict is primarily being resolved at the federal level, although its consequences are being keenly felt in the capital.

The current situation suggests a stalemate in the negotiations. The CNTE (National Workers' Union) is unyielding in its disruptive protests, and the Federal Government maintains a firm stance, delegating dialogue and refusing to give in to what it considers undue pressure tactics. This scenario prolongs the uncertainty and impacts on the residents and economy of Mexico City, while a solution is sought for teachers' demands that, in some cases, have been unresolved for years.