Merida, Yucatan — Workers on section 3 of the Maya Train blocked a roadway Thursday morning in protest of poor working conditions. More than 100 laborers working that section of the government’s project voiced their dissatisfaction with their treatment and wages.
They say they are earning the same 1,400 peso per week working that section of the Calkiní to Izamal train under the INAH and the company Azvindi Ferroviario.
Workers say they have been paid the same since they started, and pointed out that other sections are paying their workers nearly double that. Workers have also expressed their dissatisfaction with having to work overtime without additional pay and say that the work equipment, the safety equipment they have been given is in poor condition.
It was around noon when company officials arrived at the blocked road to find their labors had stopped working. The onsite laborers took the opportunity to announce that they had still not been paid for the previous two week’s work.
“The straw that broke the camel’s back was the demand that we work overtime for the same salary,” one worker who requested anonymity said.
“That overtime is not the agreement with INAH,” a company representative told the workers, who threatened to block the entire area under construction if their demands were not heard.
