Baja California Sur Governor Víctor Manuel Castro Cosío met with the leader of the state’s teachers union to formally receive a petition outlining salary and labor demands for the public school workforce.
Elmuth Dubeth Castillo Sandoval, head of Section 3 of the SNTE (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación, Mexico’s national teachers union), presented the formal petition document during the meeting in La Paz. The document covers pay raises and workplace conditions for teachers across the state’s public schools.
Governor Pledges Review Within Budget Limits
Castro Cosío, a Morena party governor who took office in September 2021, told the union leader he would study the petition carefully and provide clear responses. He stressed that any commitments would need to fit within the state’s existing budget.
The governor’s Finance Secretary was also present at the meeting. That inclusion points to tight fiscal constraints on whatever the state can offer. BCS, with a relatively small population and tax base compared to mainland Mexican states, often faces limited room for public payroll increases.
Past Negotiations Yielded Permanent Positions
Castro Cosío cited previous rounds of dialogue with the union as productive. He noted that past negotiations led to the conversion of temporary, compensated teaching positions into permanent ones, a long-standing demand from educators who had worked for years without job security.
The SNTE is the largest union in Latin America, representing more than 1.5 million education workers across Mexico. Section 3 covers all of Baja California Sur, including schools in Los Cabos, La Paz, Comondú, Loreto, and Mulegé.
What This Means for BCS Public Schools
The formal submission of a petition document, known in Mexico as a “pliego petitorio,” is a standard step in labor negotiations. It opens a period during which the government must respond to each demand. If talks break down, teacher work stoppages or protests can follow, as they have in other Mexican states in recent years.
For families with children enrolled in BCS public schools, the coming weeks will determine whether the state and the union can reach an agreement or whether the dispute escalates. No timeline for the government’s response has been announced.
This story was first reported by the Baja California Sur state government press office.