IMSS Workers Reject 2.9% Raise, Forcing Salary Renegotiation

IMSS workers rejected the 2.9% raise to the tabular salary in the October 14 vote; the SNTSS is calling for the salary negotiation to be reopened.

Unionized workers at the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) rejected the 2.9% increase to the tabular salary in the October 14, 2026 vote, held at 670 polling sites with 59.47% turnout among the 474,000 workers summoned, according to the National Union of Social Security Workers (SNTSS).

The rejected increase was part of an overall 6.8% raise that the SNTSS approved at its Ordinary National Congress on September 11, 2026. Of that total, only 2.9% applied to the tabular salary and 3.9% to Concept 11, a housing rent subsidy, according to Expansión Política. Workers argue the percentage falls below inflation and are demanding a direct 10% increase. The IMSS is the country's largest public health institution: the continuity of consultations and surgeries at clinics and hospitals depends on its unionized workforce.

SNTSS general secretary Rafael Olivos Hernández acknowledged the result in a video message released on October 15: "The results are clear, the majority of those who participated decided not to approve the salary proposal," and he called for the negotiating table with the IMSS to be reconvened, Proceso reported.

The vote counts by workplace show wide margins. At the Hospital de Especialidades de La Raza, there were 183 votes in favor and 750 against, with 7 null votes; in union section 33, the "No" won with 11,163 votes against 3,955; and at the Hospital de Cardiología del Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, there were 995 votes against and 236 in favor. President Claudia Sheinbaum said she instructed IMSS director Zoé Robledo to set up a working group: "he will carry out an analysis to see what proposal could benefit the workers," and she added that the new offer must fit within the budget, since "no one is obligated to do the impossible."

The workers who promoted the rejection are maintaining their demand for an Extraordinary National Congress and the removal of Olivos, and they announced a second national mega-march within 15 days, according to Proceso. The data leaves the renegotiation timeline on the table: for clinics, suppliers and staff at medical units, the operational question is whether the salary review gets resolved at the negotiating table or whether mobilization once again disrupts daily operations.

This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence based on verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.

IMSS Workers Reject 2.9% Raise, Forcing Salary Renegotiation

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