PEMEX Cuts Threaten Specialized Technical Staff

PEMEX is facing strong opposition from its technical workforce over plans to cut more than 3,000 positions of trust. The National Union of Oil Technicians and Professionals (UNTyPP) warns that the cuts will unfairly target essential specialized staff, not high-level managers, potentially compromising operational safety and efficiency.

The union's leadership argues the planned cuts, which are part of the company's 2025-2035 Strategic Plan, are not based on professional criteria. According to Silvia Ramos Luna, a member of the UNTyPP's oversight committee, 70 to 80% of the 3,051 positions to be eliminated will be filled by technicians and professionals, who are mistakenly classified as employees of trust. She said the company will not lay off the roughly 1,500 managers and directors who truly hold confidential positions.

Union Cites Legal and Operational Concerns

The union highlighted the discrepancy between the salaries of the two groups. The UNTyPP argues this classification is a legal misinterpretation of Art. 9 of the Federal Labor Law, which defines a position of trust by the duties performed, not the job title.

The UNTyPP claims the proposed cuts, which aim to save MX$3.507 billion (US$188.164 million), have already had a negative impact on the company’s operations. Pablo López Figueroa, the union’s Secretary of Labor, said that previous workforce reductions have affected the maintenance and operation of strategic facilities, such as offshore platforms and refineries, leading to safety incidents due to a lack of trained personnel. "We are the ones who do the work in the field," he said, "but since we are not part of the majority unions, they want to terminate us."

Ramos Luna added that the employees who may be affected are already working in the field with heavy workloads, often exceeding 12 hours a day without overtime pay. In response to the planned cuts, the UNTyPP has requested dialogue with PEMEX Director Víctor Rodríguez to review the plan and has urged workers not to sign any severance agreements without first seeking legal counsel.

PEMEX’s Rescue Plan Creates Uncertainty for Workers

The UNTyPP is specifically rejecting several key measures within the plan's "personal services" section. These include the cancellation of 3,051 positions of trust, constraints on salary increases, modifications to the payment scheme for platform personnel, and a decrease in salary levels. The union's statement claims these actions "directly impact personnel without a comprehensive assessment of the operational role they perform" and "reduce positions and salaries of those who guarantee the technical, operational, and safety continuity in PEMEX’s facilities and processes." Workers argue that these measures demonstrate a cost-cutting policy that unfairly targets those least able to absorb the impact, rather than addressing the company's fundamental structural issues. They stated, “We do not accept continuing to be the most accessible resource for adjustment in every new financial reorganization, since technical and professional personnel do not represent an excess or a burden, but an investment in specialized knowledge, experience, and institutional commitment.”

This internal tension comes as PEMEX is also in the process of negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the Mexican Union of Oil Workers (STPRM). The STPRM has postponed a planned strike until Aug. 31 to continue negotiations for the 2025-2027 period. Among the union's demands are a fair collective contract with salary and benefit adjustments, a return to the 30/55 retirement scheme (30 years of service or 55 years of age), more economic leave, increased vacation time, and mandatory rest periods. The workers are calling for an immediate review of the "Personal Services" section of the Strategic Plan and have requested a meeting with PEMEX's director to propose alternative solutions that would not deteriorate labor conditions.