Workers reject successive pay offers
The protest, called the Second National March, came hours after IMSS Director General Zoé Robledo announced an 8% pay increase. Marchers rejected the increase, according to La Jornada.
A week earlier, workers had voted down a proposed 2.9% base-salary increase in an October 14 union consultation. El País México reported that about 282,000 workers participated, roughly 60% of the approximately 476,000 eligible voters. Voting took place at 670 locations nationwide.
Healthcare funding and the government's response
The workers' demands extend to national healthcare funding: they want Mexico to allocate at least 7% of GDP to healthcare. Mexico News Daily reported that combined public and private health spending was below 6% of GDP in 2024, citing the OECD.
IMSS provides healthcare coverage to about 78 million people, or roughly 60% of Mexico's population, according to the same outlet. Its workforce exceeds 520,000, with about 80% employed in healthcare-related roles.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government was addressing the workers' legitimate demands and had instructed Robledo to prepare an action plan to address them immediately, Mexico News Daily reported. She also rejected claims that Mexico's health system was in crisis.
Route change and further protests
During the October 21 march, workers changed their route from the Zócalo to Paseo de la Reforma because no high-level official would receive them at the National Palace, La Jornada reported.
At the march's conclusion, protesters announced possible road blockades for the following Thursday near the La Raza and Siglo XXI national medical centers. They also planned another national march for October 30.
