"Ne te rends pas malade parce qu'il n'y a pas de matériel!"; les travailleurs de l'IMSS bloquent Segob et protègent avec des manifestations tous les huit jours

More than one thousand active and retired workers from Mexico’s Institute of Social Security, known as IMSS, blocked all entrances and exits to the Ministry of Interior in Mexico City on October 30. Following a three-hour march through central avenues, the protesters threatened to return to the streets every eight days until their demands for higher wages, medical supplies, and leadership changes are met. The demonstration was part of a national day of mobilization involving protests in at least five other states. The main contingent began its journey at the National Medical Center Siglo XXI, traveling along the Viaducto, Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas, Arcos de Belen, and Chapultepec avenues before reaching the ministry headquarters led by Secretary Rosa Icela Rodriguez. Upon arrival, they found that other groups of workers had already secured the perimeter, with federal protection agents guarding the interior. Protesters chanted slogans such as "Social security, national heritage," "Out with Olivos," and "Don’t get sick because there is no material." They were joined by members of unions representing metro workers, the Attorney General’s office, the Senate chamber, and electricians. Rafael Soto Cruz, a nurse at the Cardiology Hospital within the Siglo XXI complex and spokesperson for the dissident movement, addressed reporters after the march concluded. He stated that authorities believed the workers would accept a modest salary increase and remain silent, but the unionists returned to the streets to show otherwise. Soto Cruz warned that these mobilizations will continue every eight to ten days unless direct dialogue with authorities begins and worker demands are addressed. He expressed frustration over the lack of medical inputs and the perception that operational staff are being ignored by officials who discuss health issues during morning press briefings without consulting frontline personnel. The primary grievances center on a rejected wage hike. Workers opposed an 8 percent salary increase proposed by the institute, which followed a 6.8 percent raise approved earlier by the National Congress of the National Union of Social Security Workers, or SNTSS. The protesters demand a 10 percent pay rise, guaranteed supply of medical inputs in all units, increased budget allocations for the health sector, dignified pensions, and complete staffing levels. Additionally, they seek the resignation of Rafael Olivos Hernandez, the general secretary of the SNTSS, and the convening of an extraordinary national congress to formally vote on his removal. Soto Cruz noted that the dissident group has collected approximately 100,000 signatures demanding Olivos’s departure and estimated they could gather the remaining 200,000 needed for a formal challenge within 20 days. He clarified that the protests are not aimed against the government or the IMSS institution itself, but are strictly labor issues intended to guarantee social security for Mexicans. He proposed that authorities organize a consultation allowing workers to decide directly on the union leader’s tenure, stating that this would quickly end the marches. While the focus was in the capital, the national mobilization included specific actions in several states. In Puebla, workers gathered at 3:00 PM at local union offices to march toward the state delegation. In Sinaloa, a concentration took place at 5:00 PM at the Zone 32 General Hospital in Guasave. Veracruz saw a gathering at 10:00 AM in Villa Rica heading to the High Specialty Medical Unit 14. In Chihuahua, workers assembled at 3:30 PM at the state union headquarters on Independence Avenue. In Baja California, a protest started at 10:00 AM at Clinic 27 in Tijuana. The nationwide call for action included road blocks, intermittent street closures, rallies, and marches across the country’s 32 states. In response to the ongoing unrest, the IMSS established a working table with representatives from the institute and the SNTSS to listen to demands. On October 27, the institute announced it would implement 12 measures over the next 120 days to improve care and labor conditions. However, the dissident faction maintains that these steps are insufficient without direct engagement with operational front-line staff, including nurses, orderlies, doctors, and surgeons. Soto Cruz emphasized that the workers are ready for dialogue whenever authorities choose to engage, but insisted that ignoring them will force continued public demonstrations. The union leaders stressed that their fatigue stems from the lack of resources and institutional neglect, not from the physical act of marching.