Before a gathering of 25,000 delegates from the Confederation of Autonomous Workers and Employees of Mexico (CATEM) at the Arena Ciudad de México in Azcapotzalco, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, National Coordinator of the Committees in Defense of the Fourth Transformation, affirmed the partnership between CATEM, led by Senator Pedro Haces Barba, and the Fourth Transformation.
During the inauguration of the 10,000 Labor Defense Committees for the Fourth Transformation promoted by CATEM, Sheinbaum Pardo reiterated her ongoing commitment to labor rights and the increase of Mexico’s minimum wage. She also pledged continued support for enhancements in training and other benefits such as union freedom, underscoring the significant changes the country has undergone and reaffirming a commitment not to regress.
Pedro Haces Barba, CATEM’s national leader, expressed gratitude to Sheinbaum for her presence as a special guest and emphasized CATEM’s integral role in the Casa de la Cuarta Transformación, dedicated to Mexico’s transformation.
At CATEM’s XV National Ordinary Congress, prior to Sheinbaum’s arrival, delegates from over 1,192 union organizations unanimously voted to amend their statutes. Haces Barba highlighted CATEM’s representation of modern unionism in Mexico with a strong international presence, emphasizing their role in providing hope to thousands of workers, advocating for improved working conditions and quality of life for Mexican families.
Haces Barba noted the government’s historic achievements in labor matters, including the approval of International Labor Organization Convention 98, aimed at ensuring swift and fair labor justice for all Mexican workers. He also mentioned the passage of what he termed the “reform of the century,” a significant overhaul of the Federal Labor Law that grants workers the freedom to choose their union and vote on collective bargaining agreements for the first time in Mexico’s history.
Acknowledging historic increases in the minimum wage in recent years—16% in 2019, 20% in 2020, 15% in 2021, 22% in 2022, and 20% in 2023—Haces Barba attributed these advancements to President López Obrador’s prioritization of workers’ interests in his administration’s labor policies.
Highlighting the role of entrepreneurs in job creation, Haces Barba emphasized the need to leave behind outdated disputes in these new times.
At the XV National Congress, CATEM reaffirmed its dedication to Mexico’s labor transformation, with a focus on ensuring job security—a cornerstone of modern unionism.
The event drew several distinguished guests, including governors such as Marina del Pilar Ávila from Baja California, Miguel Ángel Navarro from Nayarit, Mara Lezama from Quintana Roo, Sergio Salomón Céspedes from Puebla, Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla from Michoacán, as well as federal and local legislators, and prominent businessmen including Juan Francisco Ealy Ortiz, José Miguel Becos, Miguel Rincón Arredondo, Reyes Soberanis Moreno, Guadalupe Phillips Margain, Carlos Peralta Quintero, Alfredo Domínguez Marrufo, Placido Humberto Morales Vázquez, Congressman Manuel Baldenegro, Juan Domingo Beckmann, and Rodrigo Ramírez.
