Monte de Piedad Ends Nearly Year-Long Strike via STPS Ruling

Nacional Monte de Piedad and its majority union ended a strike that closed 302 pawn lending branches from Oct. 1, 2025, to Sept. 30, 2026, after both accepted a ruling issued by Mexico's Ministry of Labor (STPS) following more than 70 negotiation meetings. The case adds to 2026 labor disputes resolved through direct STPS intervention as Mexico advances its 40-hour workweek agenda. It affects unionized workers, employers managing collective bargaining agreements, and unbanked households that rely on the institution's more than 7 million annual pawn loans.  

Nacional Monte de Piedad and its majority union signed on Sept. 30, 2026, a commitment to comply with a comprehensive ruling issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS). The signing ends a strike that began on Oct. 1, 2025, and kept the pawn lending institution's 302 branches closed for almost one year.

The resolution did not emerge from a bilateral consensus. According to the STPS, the parties held more than 70 negotiation meetings after the strike broke out on several points. Both sides ultimately accepted a ruling drafted by the ministry, built on the positions, agreements, and discussions raised during the talks. At the STPS headquarters, the institution and the union formally signed their "willingness to comply with what is set out in the ruling," the ministry says in a statement.

The STPS attributes the outcome to the call it issued on May 2, 2026. On that date, it urged both parties to resume negotiations in good faith and proposed a ruling as a path to close the dispute. Marath Bolaños, Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, describes the end of the strike as "good news for workers, their families, and the thousands of users" of the institution.

The conflict centered on compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The National Union of Employees and Workers of the National Monte de Piedad called the strike over alleged contract violations. The institution argued that the core of the dispute was the union's rejection of a new, automated process to fill vacancies and promotions, known internally as "boletinaciones." It also pointed to a branch staffing redesign included in a March 2024 agreement.   

The dispute also moved through the courts. On Feb. 20, 2026, a federal judge granted Monte de Piedad an amparo that declared the strike nonexistent, finding that the union had not met its own statutory requirements. The union appealed the decision before a collegiate court. In March, the institution formally asked the STPS and the Federal Center for Labor Conciliation and Registration (CFCRL) to issue a ruling binding on both parties. The union initially rejected arbitration and demanded direct, public negotiations with the institution's board of trustees, reports MBN. After the STPS proposal in May, Monte de Piedad expressed support for the mechanism on May 5. On May 11, it acknowledged the union's willingness to analyze the ministry's ruling.

The strike's impact extended beyond the labor relationship. Monte de Piedad was founded in 1774 and operates as a private assistance institution (IAP). It reports that it grants more than 7 million pawn loans per year and subsidizes the operating cost of over 2.4 million of them. Those subsidized loans serve a largely unbanked population that relies on the institution as its only source of financing. The STPS acknowledges that the closure substantially affected workers, pledgors, and clients. The conflict was the longest strike under the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Monte de Piedad will resume operations at its branches on Oct. 7, 2026. Clients will be able to pawn, renew, pay for, or recover their items. Starting on the reopening date, the institution will offer 45 calendar days without interest charges, as well as interest discounts based on each client's history, according to an announcement from the institution. Branches will operate continuously from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. "We reopen the doors of our branches with our clients' items intact," says Murillo, who also thanks clients, employees, and civil society organizations for their patience.

The settlement adds to a series of prolonged labor disputes resolved through federal mediation in 2026. In July, the STPS brokered a 15-point agreement that ended a strike of about 150 days at tire manufacturer Compañía Hulera Tornel. That strike involved 1,051 unionized workers, and the agreement included a phased move to a 40-hour workweek and compensation for 60% of lost wages. In the Monte de Piedad case, the ministry expressed its expectation that the institution and its workforce will maintain a harmonious and lasting collaboration going forward.