Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, heading the Committees for the Defense of the Fourth Transformation, vowed to protect workers’ wages and benefits, encouraging them to join her preliminary campaign.
“We will advance together to ensure the continuity of this transformation initiated by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador,” she declared, solidifying an alliance with the Autonomous Confederation of Workers and Employees (CATEM).
During the XV National Ordinary Congress of this Workers’ Central, held at Arena CDMX, Sheinbaum Pardo launched the Labor Defense Committees of the 4T, comprising delegates from all 31 states of the Republic, affirming:
“This broad coalition is united by the primary objective of advancing the Fourth Transformation and fostering unity among the populace to reshape Mexico’s public life.”
Joined by workers from across the Republic and the governors of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila; Quintana Roo, Mara Lezama; Nayarit, Miguel Ángel Navarro; Michoacán, Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla; and Puebla, Sergio Salomón Céspedes, Sheinbaum reviewed the labor achievements of the current administration.
She emphasized that President López Obrador’s administration broke a 36-year minimum wage stagnation, during which previous governments boasted of Mexico’s inexpensive labor abroad.
“Prioritizing our workers, wages were historically low. President López Obrador pledged and delivered, nearly tripling the minimum wage since 2018, effectively lifting labor out of poverty,” she underscored.
She also noted that, contrary to assertions by past administrations, “there has been no inflation as a result of the minimum wage increase.”
Speaking to CATEM’s Secretary General, Pedro Haces Barba, who welcomed her to Arena CDMX in Azcapotzalco, Sheinbaum, a distinguished guest at the celebration marking the 15th anniversary of this Workers’ Central, remarked:
“When workers succeed, when entrepreneurs thrive, Mexico prospers.”
Former Senator Ricardo Monreal Ávila, one of the speakers, remarked, “Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum invited me to this Congress, and it is an honor to be here.”
He stressed that due to the government and the working class in the current administration, the country’s transformative journey continues.
Regarding CATEM, he observed that “with its 194 nationwide trade union organizations, it is a robust Workers’ Central advocating for union inclusion, freedom, and gender equality.”
“We have made significant strides in labor justice over decades,” he emphasized, highlighting to attendees that the revised Federal Labor Law of 2019 has led to wages exceeding inflation and improved vacation rights.
In the presidium, Francisco Cervantes, president of the Coordinating Business Council, and in a dedicated area, entrepreneurs invited to the XV National Ordinary Congress, such as José Miguel Becos, president of Mota & Gil México; Miguel Rincón Arredondo of Bio Pappel; Guadalupe Phillips Margain, CEO of Grupo ICA; and Carlos Peralta Quintero, CEO of Grupo IUSA, among others, were present.
The festivities encompassed a variety of activities: traditional dances from Oaxaca, such as the “piña” from Valle Nacional, elegantly performed by women in exquisite attire; mariachi music, poetry, and CATEM’s emblem—an eagle proudly displayed by leader Haces Barba on his right arm before the audience.
