One year ago today Mexico's southwestern state of Oaxaca was plagued by a teachers' union strike which left tens of thousands of darkened classrooms and nearly 900,000 students idle at home. Today the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) laid the blame squarely on Governor Gabino Cué, contending that his conduct in tolerating the events deprived students of their constitutionally guaranteed human rights. Continued teacher strikes idle almost a million students in Oaxaca (Aug. 19, 2013).
The strike was launched by ultra-radical Local 22 of the Coordinadora Nacional de los Trabajadores de la Educación (CNTE), a thoroughly corrupt union some of whose members have literally never seen the inside of a classroom. They hold other jobs, but nonetheless collect a monthly teacher's paycheck. Those who do conduct classes enjoy stellar benefits, and prior to federal education reforms which went into force last year, could not be terminated from their jobs. Oaxaca education at the mercy of omnipotent syndicate. CNTE is closely allied with Mexico's far left political parties.
CNDH said today that 94% of Oaxacan school children were denied their constitutional right to an education by reason of Local 22's unjustified work stoppage from Aug. 19 to Oct. 14, 2013. Some schools did not return to normal schedules until December 2013. Others were operated for months by parents, teachers from another non-striking union or volunteers. CNDH held Gov. Cué and Oaxaca's Secretary of Education fully accountable for the events, which should come as no surprise to anyone.
After first promising to freeze the paychecks of Local 22 CNTE members until they returned to their classrooms, on Oct. 15, 2013 Cué completely flip-flopped and agreed to release to the strikers (via their ATM accounts, where the pesos were waiting) $92 million dollars for 40 days not yet worked.
Paying an extortion artist usually doesn't work, and it didn't in this case either. No sooner did CNTE teachers get their millions in Oaxaca than fellow Local 22 union members in Michoacán decided to call an indefinite strike there, shutting down schools in that state the following morning, Oct. 16.
Are things better in Oaxaca now, where the new school year began two weeks ago? It would appear little has changed. Oaxaca state tenses as Mexico's new school year begins.
Meanwhile, on Aug. 11 a Mexican education evaluation commission reported that 60% of Mexican high school graduates (not just Oaxacan) can scarcely read, and have only elementary math skills.
Aug. 25, 2013 - PRI government shows no resolve against thug teachers
Oct. 1, 2013 - Radical teachers' syndicate returns to Mexico City streets
May 15, 2014 - On Mexican National Teachers' Day, the sweet racket carved out by their powerful unions is exposed
Aug. 18, 2014 - Mexico will award two million academic scholarships, hoping to turn the tide against huge dropout rate
Sept. 11, 2014 - CNTE is "a movement which has nothing to do with education"
© MGR 2014. All rights reserved. This article may be cited or briefly quoted with proper attribution or a hyperlink, but not reproduced without permission.
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