CNTE teachers union agrees to lift rail blockades in Michoacán

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After two days of meetings and assemblies, the 18th section of the National Coordination of Education Workers (CNTE) agreed to lift their blockades on the railroads of the Lázaro Cárdenas, Maravatío, Pátzcuaro, Uruapan, Zitácuado, and Jacona regions as a result of their negotiations with federal and state governments .

The teachers union is also expected to end their indefinite strike, as well as their occupation of town halls and rental offices which began 17 days ago as part of their plan to have their demands met by the federal government.

During the past week, a radical CNTE group blocked the railroad without the approval of the union’s general assembly.

The deadline given by the federal and state governments for the 18th section of the CNTE to lift the rail blockades in Michoacán expired yesterday.

After two days of meetings and internal disputes, the authoritative democratic wing reached an agreement and, during a Representative State Assembly that lasted several hours, it was determined that the CNTE would give in to the ultimatum given by state and federal authorities.

Since the stance of the National Coordination was still unclear, federal and state authorities have not yet confirmed whether or not government resources will be made available to meet the CNTE’s demands.

Teachers from the National Committee of Education Workers union began blocking the railroad tracks on Jan. 14 to protest labor demands, hampering the distribution of supplies for various industries, including hydrocarbons and grains such as corn, a staple of the Mexican diet, Ferromex spokeswoman Lourdes Aranda said

As of Monday, a total of 252 trains had been unable to transport 2.1 million tonnes of products , with about 10,500 containers stranded in the ports of Manzanillo in Colima state and Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacan, according to railway and shipping industry associations.

Up until now, the CNTE has only lifted blockades in Lázaro Cárdenas, Maravatío, and Yurécuaro. The blockade in Pátzcuaro will be lifted this afternoon.