Unions, Ethics, and Power: A Reflection on Mexico’s Work Culture

From an early age, I was educated under principles of integrity, honesty, and respect. Throughout my education — basic, secondary, and higher — I learned not to question adults, teachers, or later, hierarchical superiors in the workplace. Upon graduating from university and entering the working world, this behavior remained, except in the mechanisms for gaining access to employment, particularly through a union.

In theory, unions exist to defend workers’ rights. However, in practice, it is evident that in many cases some individuals who hold representative positions use that role for personal benefit, with the tolerance — or complacency — of those who should be supervising their proper functioning. There are numerous examples of this situation across different labor sectors in the country.

To put this reflection into context, it is worth going back to the student years. At that time, student unions were intended to represent and protect students’ interests against possible abuses by academic authorities. In many cases, they fulfilled that role with commitment, even facing reprisals. One example was the negotiation with urban transport operators to reduce fares for students, which represented a significant collective benefit.

However, over time, some of these student organizations began to stray from their original purpose. Representatives from later generations accepted personal benefits, sacrificing agreements that favored the student community. Unfortunately, this pattern was later repeated in the union sphere, but on a much larger scale.

As experience is gained and perspective broadens, the depth of the corruption problems that have afflicted our society for decades becomes evident. In theory, political parties should exist solely as platforms to nominate candidates for public office; in practice, they often become instruments for concentrating power in the hands of their leaders.

From my point of view, any popularly elected representative, once in office, should be accountable directly to the citizens and not to the party that nominated them. Ideally, legislative bodies should be made up of representatives of the people’s interests, beyond partisan affiliations.

This problem is replicated at different levels of government  —state and municipal — where deeply rooted practices persist that hinder full development and prevent the country’s wealth from being translated into general well-being. In many municipalities, there is a clear inequality in the quality of public services: deficient infrastructure, irregularly granted permits, constant failures in basic services, and inefficient citizen attention.

The oil industry is not immune to this reality. Under the union regime that prevailed until the early 1990s, promotions were granted mainly based on seniority, which limited initiative, competition, and professional development. With the transition of professionals to the trust-based regime, the situation changed, although it cannot be categorically stated that it improved. This assessment, of course, comes from a personal perspective.

Although professionals from various companies were incorporated, the problem has been — and continues to be — the selection criteria. In some cases, these criteria are excessively strict, and in others, overly flexible. As a result, individuals in key positions make decisions without having the necessary experience, training, or knowledge, leading to the omission of procedures, the underutilization of talent, and eventually negative consequences that manifest gradually.

When one becomes aware of this reality, it is understood that there are multiple ways of doing things, but there is always one option that is the most appropriate given the circumstances. However, different decisions are often made, without a clear explanation. That is where legitimate questioning arises — and should arise. Unfortunately, those who dare to question are often labeled as conflictive and sidelined, even when they have solid grounds. Faced with this scenario, many choose to nod in agreement, prioritizing job stability and opportunities for promotion, leaving aside the dignity and professional ethics that we are supposedly taught upon graduating from an educational institution.

In the academic sphere, it is worth asking whether study programs truly respond to the country’s current needs, whether they are kept up to date, and whether teaching staff have the experience and vocation necessary to train better professionals. It is not uncommon to see recently graduated individuals, with no practical experience, obtaining teaching positions simply because a parent holds a position in the union leadership or has connections within it. This leads one to question how far we must unravel the thread to find the origin of all these practices that deteriorate expectations for improvement in all areas.

Why don’t we question? Probably because it is more comfortable to go along with the flow. However, the lack of questioning and action condemns us to perpetuate the same schemes and to pass on to new generations a system devoid of principles and highly questionable.

I put these reflections on the table with the conviction that no one should remain on the sidelines. We all have the responsibility to act with courage within our sphere of influence to help improve the conditions of our country, avoiding becoming mere spectators or passive critics.