Delavci IMSS zavrnejo povišico in kričijo: "Skraj s PANom!"

Mexican Institute of Social Security workers announced intermittent road blockades for Thursday, October 22, targeting the National Medical Centers known as La Raza and Siglo XXI. The actions will begin at 3 p.m., according to organizers who gathered near the agency’s headquarters on Paseo de la Reforma Avenue. During a rally outside the offices led by Director General Zoe Robledo, demonstrators held a show of hands vote to approve blocking Calle Vallejo and Avenida Cuauhtemoc. They also declared plans to partially occupy each of the 37 union sections, one per week, until the current leadership steps down. Protesters stated that union buildings belong to the workers and accused current leaders of neglecting hospitals throughout the century. The demonstrations continue amid rejection of a new salary increase proposal. Robledo offered an eight percent total raise, split into four percent for base pay and four percent for housing assistance. Workers dismissed this offer as a mockery, comparing its weakness to the initial proposal. That earlier bid included a 2.9 percent base pay hike and 3.9 percent in benefits, totaling 6.8 percent. A nurse from the Siglo XXI Cardiology Department named Rafael Soto called the new offer equally pathetic during a speech. He demanded a direct ten percent salary increase along with resolutions to other labor demands. Soto noted that an extraordinary congress was supposed to be the first phase of negotiations, yet management had ignored the workforce. Robledo maintained that the new proposal addresses staff grievances and exceeds inflation rates regarding base pay. However, protesters insisted their demands remain unmet. The movement confirmed a national march scheduled for Friday, October 30, followed by an assembly the next day. A separate march was already planned for Wednesday, departing from the Siglo XXI center at 3 p.m. toward the Zocalo square. Organizers expect contingents from the National Teachers Union to join that specific event. Tensions flared when representatives from the National Action Party arrived at the protest camp early in the day. Party members set up a sound system on the median strip of Paseo de la Reforma to issue statements. National President Jorge Romero Herrera was among them. Demonstrators rejected his presence, shouting political opportunism accusations. Daniel Alejandro Rodriguez Borjas, a nurse from Torreon, Coahuila, used a megaphone to question the party leader over pension regime changes implemented during previous administrations. Rodriguez Borjas told the visitors that while they might have forgotten past actions, workers had not. The confrontation escalated with shouts and chants demanding no political opportunism from any party. Security personnel eventually removed Romero Herrera from the area in a white pickup truck. The party leader responded by wishing the crowd blessings before leaving. The dispute follows a union consultation held on October 14, where the majority of participants rejected the initial financial offer. The standoff highlights deep divisions within the workforce regarding compensation and union governance. While the official union secretary general, Rafael Olivos Hernandez, has been part of broader discussions, the protesting faction continues independent mobilizations. The physical occupation of union offices is intended to force administrative changes. Workers assert that the occupied buildings will remain under their control indefinitely. New mobilization dates have been set to maintain pressure on the institution’s leadership. The situation remains volatile as both sides prepare for further public actions later this month.