At the XV Ordinary Congress of the Autonomous Confederation of Workers and Employees of Mexico (CATEM) in Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, the National Coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Fourth Transformation, committed to safeguarding what she termed the significant achievements of the 4T in the labor sector.
“I pledge to the workers of Mexico that we will continue to protect their wages and labor rights because we understand that when workers prosper, businesses and the nation flourish,” declared the virtual presidential pre-candidate for Morena and its allies, stressing that “to ensure continued prosperity for Mexico, we must maintain our current direction.”
Just prior to this, Sheinbaum chaired a meeting at the national headquarters of Morena with the nine state coordinators responsible for defending the transformation, who will ultimately be candidates for governorships and the capital’s government next year. “In the 4T, we are united. We are committed to the people of Mexico to enhance and advance this revival of Mexico’s public life,” remarked the Morena leader while sharing a photo with the prospective candidates and the party’s national leader, Mario Delgado.
During the CATEM Congress, which took place on Wednesday at the Arena Ciudad de México, Sheinbaum noted that the partnership with this labor organization is being formalized, following her inauguration of the initial groups the union referred to as committees for the defense of labor transformation. The labor group plans to establish at least 10,000 of these committees as its “contribution to the transformation.”
In her speech, Sheinbaum highlighted the “great victories” achieved for workers in the past five years under the current federal administration, including the rise in the minimum wage. She emphasized the importance of this change, pointing out that for 36 years, the country’s low-cost labor was showcased abroad. “This is why it is said that the neoliberal era resembles the Porfirio Díaz period, or is neo-Porfirismo; indeed, workers’ wages decreased every year,” she explained.
Additionally, she emphasized the “freedom of association” attained through reforms in this area, expressing that workers have a shared aspiration: “We do not wish to return to a past filled with corruption and privileges.”
On the other hand, CATEM leader Pedro Haces opposed the reduction of working hours, claiming that it would result in lower wages.
The event was attended by several governors, including Sergio Salomón Céspedes from Puebla; Mara Lezama from Quintana Roo; Miguel Navarro from Nayarit; Marina del Pilar from Baja California; and Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla from Michoacán.
Also present were Francisco Cervantes, president of the Business Coordinating Council, and Héctor Tejada, president of the Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, Services, and Tourism (Concanaco Servytur).
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