Development: On 12 February, the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (SNTE), Mexico’s main teachers’ union, approved changes to its internal structure and re-elected Juan Díaz de la Torre as its main leader.
Significance: The changes, and Díaz de la Torre’s re-election, are considered a positive outcome for the successful implementation of the 2012-2013 education reform approved by the incumbent government led by President Enrique Peña Nieto. Díaz de la Torre is a supporter of the reform, which is still strongly resisted by the Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (CNTE) rival teachers’ union. For the past five years the CNTE has been staging disruptive protests to try to stop the implementation of the reform and there was speculation that the sector’s discontent could lead to the election of an SNTE leader less supportive of the reform and with closer links to the CNTE.
- Unlike his long-serving predecessor, Elba Esther Gordillo, who staunchly opposed the education reform until she was arrested in 2013 over corruption charges, Díaz de la Torre has always expressed support for the reform and a willingness to work with the government to help implement it. So much so, that it is widely speculated in Mexico that Díaz de la Torre was ‘planted’ in the SNTE by the Peña Nieto government following Gordillo’s arrest to shore up support for the reform.
- Due to the continued resistance to the reform by some teachers, there were lingering concerns in government circles that this could lead to SNTE factions opposed to the reform capturing the union’s leadership. However, during the SNTE’s VII extraordinary national congress held yesterday, its thousands of delegates voted in favour of electing Díaz de la Torre as their new president after approving changes to its administrative structure introducing the figure of president as the top administrative post in replacement of the previous figure of secretary general.
- The SNTE delegates also approved other changes including the suppression of its general public-education strengthening council. This was an influential body tasked with coming up with public-education policy proposals. This has been interpreted as a further sign that, under Díaz de la Torre, the SNTE will not seek to challenge the policy line set by the federal government but limit itself to following it.
Looking Ahead: While the outcome of the SNTE congress looks positive for the education reform, that this remains controversial was made clear by the CNTE yesterday. It staged protest marches in various southern states calling for the repeal of the reform and in repudiation of Díaz de la Torre, who it accuses of being subservient to the government. The new government that is to be elected in the 1 July general election will have to find a way to appease the CNTE.