The National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) started a 48-hour strike on November 13, 2025, with protests in Mexico City including attempts to enter the National Palace and setting up a sit-in at San Lázaro. Teachers demand the repeal of the 2007 ISSSTE Law and the 2019 education reform. The federal government responded by reaffirming its commitment to dialogue and highlighting advances in support for educators.
On November 13, 2025, CNTE teachers began mobilizations in Mexico City as part of a 48-hour strike. Early in the day, they tried to break down barriers at the National Palace to speak with President Claudia Sheinbaum but were stopped by police using extinguishers and irritant powders. They then headed to the Congress of the Union at San Lázaro, where they set up a sit-in lasting 48 hours to demand the reinstatement of the negotiation table.
Their demands include repealing the 2007 ISSSTE Law and the 2019 education reform, promoted by former presidents Enrique Peña Nieto and Andrés Manuel López Obrador. In a statement in front of the Chamber of Deputies, Yenni Martínez, secretary of CNTE's section 22, rejected claims that the movement is right-wing and distanced it from the Generation Z march scheduled for Saturday in the Zócalo. Teachers criticized the 2026 Federal Expenditure Budget, which allocates only 4% of GDP to education—versus the 8% recommended by UNESCO—with most tagged for scholarships.
Pedro Hernández, secretary of section 9, announced that the next day they would mobilize to the Cuernavaca toll booth to allow free passage. Protests spread to at least 20 states, including toll liberations in Chiapas and Oaxaca. They threatened actions during the 2026 FIFA World Cup if demands are unmet.
Meanwhile, the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) stated that, per Sheinbaum's instructions, they keep dialogue open to strengthen public education. They highlighted an ISSSTE pension reform lowering retirement age to 55, a 10% salary increase—the second highest in four decades, with 38 billion pesos—and in Oaxaca, a 15 billion peso investment in school infrastructure, payment of seniority premiums to 14,000 retired teachers, over 6,000 permanent positions, and five billion in scholarships for 660,000 students.