CUPW is proud to stand with SITUAM in their fight for respect of their collective agreement and union rights, better social conditions, and wages that enable workers to live in dignity.
SITUAM is a union of 6000 members who work at the Metropolitan Autonomous University, Mexico’s third-largest university. Many of its professors were activists in the student movement of 1968 and the union continues to be militant in its struggle for a better Mexico and better workplaces in the university. SITUAM represents all categories of workers in one union – it unites labourers, professors, and everyone else in common struggle.
Since SITUAM formed in 1974, real wages of their membership have fallen by 60%. The University has been misclassifying new hires in order to exclude them from membership.
They’ve been on strike since February 1 of this year. A movement – aiming to hold the Mexican government to its promises to revoke the neoliberal education reforms of the last five years – has been organized around this strike. This strike can help Mexican labour to build the strength to reverse neoliberal policies and challenge authoritarian policies in the national government.
Doctor Edur Velasco Arregui, former Secretary-General of SITUAM, visited the CUPW national office today to ask for our support. We offer our solidarity to SITUAM as they bargain a return to decent liveable wages, fight to make the university respect their collective agreement, and resist the austerity agenda in the university system.
La lucha continua!
Solidarity,
Jan Simpson
1st National Vice-President
2015-2019 / Bulletin # 525