Educational figures from the National Council for Educational Development (Conafe) held peaceful protests this Monday in Orizaba and Xalapa to denounce payments that they consider unfair, the lack of social security and the absence of labor recognition, despite performing functions equivalent to a formal job.
In Orizaba, the dissidents took over offices of the organization as a measure of pressure. They pointed out that the trigger for the mobilization was the payment of just 900 pesos as a Christmas bonus, an amount that they described as unequal compared to other federal programs.
Aleida Itzel de Jesús Colvaller, in charge of microregion 10, explained that educational figures face high work demands without associated rights.
“The payments are not equal, we do not have social security and we are required to do practically the same as in a formal job,” he said.
Educational figures, known as LEC, are young people trained to teach classes and accompany educational processes in rural and marginalized communities where there are no regular schools, with the aim of guaranteeing access to initial and basic education.
Protest in Xalapa
In the state capital, community educators also demonstrated to demand payment of the Christmas bonus promised since December and denounce excessive working hours.
The protesters pointed out that the non-compliance with the bonus – equivalent to a bonus – was due to a cut to the federal budget, which left the economic support committed at the national level without effect.
Ángel Daniel Cuevas Flores, one of the participating educators, pointed out that the lack of this payment has generated uncertainty among the staff.
“We were promised a Christmas bonus, which would be the equivalent of a Christmas bonus, and the corresponding amount did not arrive,” he stated.
Cuevas Flores added that, although their work is classified as voluntary social service, in practice they work up to 13 or 14 hours a day, even on weekends.
“We could not call social service something that is worked 13 or 14 hours; it would be impossible,” he concluded.




