Police in Five Mexican States Demand Their Bonuses

Municipal police officers in at least five states are spending the last days of the year protesting and going on strike to demand the payment of year-end bonuses, or aguinaldos, and benefits.

On the second day of a strike, police in Juchitán, Oaxaca, blocked vehicle access to several streets in the city’s center yesterday.

Some 300 members of the local police department have also taken over municipal headquarters, demanding to be paid for their bonuses, which by law were due on December 20.

The newspaper Milenio reported that Mayor Saúl Vicente’s administration is struggling to find the necessary funds.

Municipal police officers with the Civil Protection office of Tixtla, Guerrero, went on a two-hour strike yesterday, demanding not only the payment of bonuses, but also their bi-monthly salaries.

Municipal authorities pledged word that all monies owed would be paid before January 15, after which promise police resumed their duties.

Police employed by the Attorney General’s office in Sinaloa complained that the payment of their aguinaldo had been incomplete, and that the final bimonthly payment — traditionally paid before staff go on vacation —  had not been paid in a timely manner.

In Motul, a municipality in Yucatán, police officers protested the overdue payment of their bonuses.

The officers rejected municipal authorities’ proposal to be paid half of the bonus in December and the remainder in January.

The pressure exerted by the disgruntled law enforcement officers forced the administration to promise a full payment before next Friday.

While police in Puebla apparently have received their salaries and bonuses in accordance with the law, they have demanded the payment of an additional bonus, which they accused top-level government officials had already received.