Researchers and professors at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF) in Tijuana began working under formal protest on April 15 after months of salary negotiations with institutional leadership failed to produce results. The union representing COLEF staff, known as SIPCOLEF, said that management has offered no substantive proposals since dialogue sessions began in February.
The action falls short of a full strike. Faculty members are continuing their teaching and research duties while formally registering their dissatisfaction with the pace of negotiations. The union’s core demands include inflation-adjusted wages and application of the Northern Border Free Zone wage decree, a federal policy that sets higher minimum wages for municipalities along the U.S. border.
What COLEF Researchers Are Demanding
SIPCOLEF has pushed for pay increases that keep pace with inflation, which has eroded purchasing power for salaried workers across Baja California in recent years. The Northern Border Free Zone decree, first enacted in 2019, grants tax incentives and a higher minimum wage to border cities including Tijuana, Mexicali, and Ensenada. The union argues that COLEF salaries should reflect these regional wage standards.
Despite multiple rounds of talks since February, COLEF’s administration has not presented a formal counterproposal, according to the union. That lack of progress triggered the decision to escalate to a formal protest.
Why COLEF Matters in the Border Region
COLEF is one of Mexico’s leading public research institutions focused on border issues. Headquartered in Tijuana’s Zona Río district, the college operates additional campuses in Mexicali, Monterrey, Matamoros, and Ciudad Juárez. Its researchers produce studies on migration, cross-border labor markets, trade policy, and regional economics that are frequently cited by both Mexican and U.S. policymakers.
The institution is part of Mexico’s CONAHCYT system (the National Council of Humanities, Sciences, and Technologies), which funds and oversees public research centers nationwide. Labor disputes at CONAHCYT-affiliated institutions have become more common as federal austerity measures squeeze budgets across the academic sector.
What Comes Next
If negotiations remain stalled, SIPCOLEF could move toward a formal strike, which would halt classes and research programs. A work stoppage at COLEF could delay studies tied to binational policy initiatives and disrupt graduate programs that enroll students from across Mexico and abroad.
For now, the protest remains symbolic, but the union has made clear that continued silence from management will force an escalation. This story was first reported by Punto Norte.