The state-owned Pemex and the Petroleum Workers Union of the Mexican Republic (STPRM) announced an agreement to increase their workers’ wages by 4%.
The state oil company has described in a statement that this announcement “guarantees workers respect and compliance with their rights and benefits established by law.” The agreement also includes a 2.25% increase in employee benefits.
The salary increase would be 0.6 percentage points higher than what they agreed to in 2021, at a time when the country’s inflation is at its highest level for more than 21 years.
In the month of July alone, prices in the country increased by 0.74%, with the National Consumer Price Index (INPC) standing at 8.15% year-on-year, a level not seen since December 2000.
This is the first negotiation carried out since Ricardo Aldana, a former treasurer of the oil company’s union, was elected as union leader at the beginning of the year.
Pemex has some 90,000 unionized workers, of which 44,983 voted at the time for the Aldana election, according to the union.
In September of last year, the oil company and the union agreed to an increase in wages of 3.4%, while at that time benefits rose by 1.76%.
The current administration has distinguished itself by fostering a closer relationship with the state company’s union, after some measures were taken during the past six-year term to reduce the oil company’s labor liability, one of the company’s highest costs.
“With this announcement, Pemex and the union continue to lay the foundations for a constructive relationship, based on respect, efficiency and financial discipline; with the purpose of strengthening the institution as a lever for national development to consolidate the energy sovereignty of our country”, says the text published by the oil company.
With information from Reuters
