Communist Party of Mexico supports teachers defying the government

The following article is taken from El Machete, news organ of the Communist Party of Mexico. 

Permanent sit-ins were held in Rosarito, Ensenada, and Tijuana, and the Institute of Educational and Pedagogical Services, among other government offices, was occupied. A significant contingent participated in the strike in San Quintín, and teachers in Tecate continued their struggle.

In Tijuana, solidarity from social, labour, and political organizations has been evident from the very beginning. This was true whether during the first day of the CNTE Baja California Permanent Assembly, the start of the indefinite work stoppage, the march to the El Chaparral border crossing, or the liberation of toll booths, which involved the determination of teachers in three municipalities.

During the actions at the intermunicipal toll booths—some of which are among the most expensive nationwide—the solidarity of mothers was evident, with assistance and food provided to the strikers. A crucial contribution from the working class would be to promote and strengthen grassroots organizing, with its demands for free public education, among working parents.

During the total strike in 400 schools in Baja California and the intermittent strike in another 200, a large and diverse group of protesters stood out. These ranged from preschool workers to teachers who, while not directly involved with the CNTE (National Coordinator of Education Workers), were affiliated with the SNTE (National Union of Education Workers) and broke with the union's collaborationist leadership towards employers, thus promoting and participating in the strike.

Professor Marco Pacheco, State Coordinator of the CNTE in Baja California, has stated that the current struggle of the teachers is for all workers, given that the central demands are the repeal of the ISSSTE Law of 2007 and the IMSS Law of 1997, as well as the establishment of a new solidarity-based pension and retirement system in the country.

With persistence and discipline, the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE), both nationally and in the state, is prioritizing a key demand for young people, women, and adult workers in Mexico. It is unacceptable that the profits of banks and monopolies take precedence over the dignity and rights of millions of workers. Therefore, the CNTE strike is necessary and just.