Mexico Social Security Workers Storm Union Headquarters Over 2.9% Raise
MEXICO · LABOUR
Key Facts
- —The country Mexico is Latin America’s second most populous country. Its Social Security Institute, the IMSS, runs hospitals and pensions for formal private-sector jobs, 22.8 million of them at the end of June 2026.
- —The background IMSS staff are represented by the SNTSS, the national union of social security workers. Its congress approved a 2.9% basic pay rise in September, to take effect on 16 October.
- —Why now Many workers and retirees say 2.9% falls short. Annual inflation was 3.42% in the first half of September, and they also complain of missing medicines and unfilled posts.
- —What happened On Thursday 1 October, after about nine hours of marches and road blockades, some 50 protesters broke into the union’s Mexico City headquarters.
- —Who is who Protesters want union leader Rafael Olivos Hernández to resign. Interior Ministry staff proposed a 15-member commission for talks if they left the building.
- —What it means for you This was a protest against the union, not a strike; no report mentioned closed IMSS clinics. Drivers in the capital faced hours of blockades on the Circuito Interior ring road.
- —Still open Whether talks start, who sits at the table, and whether the 2.9% rise is reopened before 16 October.
Workers and retirees of Mexico’s Social Security Institute (IMSS) forced their way into their union’s Mexico City headquarters on Thursday 1 October. About 50 people cut the chains and broke down a door after some nine hours of protest.
They reject a 2.9% pay rise their union approved in September, below Mexico’s annual inflation of 3.42%. They also want the union’s national leader to resign.
A march that ended at the union’s door
The protest began at about 10:30 a.m. at the Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, a large IMSS hospital complex. More than 800 active and retired workers then marched to the union’s headquarters, the news site Infobae reported.
The union is the SNTSS, the National Union of Social Security Workers, which negotiates pay for IMSS staff. When talks over who would represent the marchers stalled, they blocked the Circuito Interior, one of the capital’s main ring roads.
At about 7:30 p.m. roughly 50 people cut the chains and broke down a door, the magazine Proceso reported. Police in riot gear stood at the entrance but did not stop them.
What the workers want
The trigger is pay. In September the union’s congress approved a 2.9% basic rise by 1,056 votes to 260, effective from 16 October.
The package adds 1.75% for retirement savings and 3.9% in supplementary payments, Infobae reported. Protesters want a 10% rise in basic pay instead, Infobae reported.
For comparison, consumer prices rose 3.42% in the year to the first half of September, according to INEGI, the national statistics office. A 2.9% rise therefore leaves basic pay slightly behind prices.
The demands go beyond pay. Protesters want the resignation of Rafael Olivos Hernández, the union’s general secretary, and an extraordinary congress to reopen the deal.
They also want more medicines and working equipment, vacancies filled and the old pension scheme restored. Mexican drug makers say the public health system owes them about US$335 million, mostly through IMSS-Bienestar, a separate service for the uninsured.
How the union and the government responded
Interior Ministry staff proposed a 15-member commission to hold talks, Infobae and SDP Noticias reported. The condition was that the protesters leave the building.
The SNTSS said it remained willing to listen and to hold “direct, respectful and constructive” dialogue. It condemned violence, damage to its offices and the throwing of stones and other objects, El Financiero reported.
The union offered to receive a delegation of protesters “siempre y cuando existan las condiciones”, provided the conditions exist. As of Thursday night, no agreement on who would talk, or when, had been reported.
The anger did not start on Thursday: about 350 workers and retirees marched to the same building on 24 September. Workers in Tlaxcala, east of the capital, have also rejected the 2.9% rise, El Periódico de Tlaxcala reported.
What comes next
The key date is 16 October, when the 2.9% rise is due to take effect. Protesters want an extraordinary congress before then; as of Thursday night, the leadership had not said it would call one.
The protest does not mean IMSS care has stopped: none of the reports mentioned closed clinics or a strike. The dispute is mainly between union members and their own leaders, with the government offering to mediate.
Both sides say they want talks, and the Interior Ministry has proposed a format. Whether the leadership reopens the pay deal will decide if the protests fade or spread.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the IMSS?
The Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) runs hospitals, clinics and pensions for employees in Mexico’s formal private sector. It had about 22.8 million registered jobs at the end of June 2026.
Why are IMSS workers protesting?
They reject a 2.9% basic pay rise approved by their union, which is below annual inflation of 3.42%, and want 10% instead. They also demand more medicines, filled vacancies and the resignation of their union leader.
Are IMSS hospitals affected?
None of the reports on the 1 October protest mentioned closed IMSS clinics or hospitals. The protest targeted the union’s offices, although it blocked major roads in Mexico City for hours.
Who is Rafael Olivos Hernández?
He is the general secretary, or national leader, of the SNTSS, the union of IMSS workers. Protesters demand his resignation and an extraordinary union congress.
Sources: Proceso, 1 October 2026, El Financiero, 1 October 2026, Infobae, 2 October 2026, SDP Noticias, 2 October 2026, La Razón, 2 October 2026, UnoTV, 1 October 2026, Infobae, 24 September 2026, El Periódico de Tlaxcala, 1 October 2026, INEGI, consumer price index, first half of September 2026, 24 September 2026, UnoTV on IMSS employment data, 18 July 2026. All retrieved 2 October 2026.
Read More from The Rio Times