The academic sector of the INBAL union of trade unions protests at the National Palace

César Arellano García

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, September 9, 2025, p. 5

The academic sector of the Union of Trade Unions of the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (USINBAL), made up of four union representatives, demonstrated at the National Palace to demand respect for their labor rights.

The protesters demanded decisive working groups with the participation of union representatives, the Ministries of Culture, Finance, Interior, Anti-Corruption, and Good Government, as well as the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL), in order to "guarantee concrete responses and immediate actions to address the urgent demands that affect our fundamental labor rights and compromise the country's educational and cultural quality."

Carlos Barajas González, general counsel of the Independent Union of Workers of the Ministry of Culture, stated that they delivered a document to President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, seeking to have their demands addressed, including the dignified recognition of federal positions, respecting seniority, ensuring equitable working and academic conditions, and recognizing the professional value of each member.

Likewise, "promotion in accordance with current regulations and in compliance with the Rules Governing the Specific Working Conditions of the Base Academic Staff of the INBAL Professional Schools. Fair General Working Conditions, aligned with the reality of the artistic and educational sector, supported by joint admissions, promotion, and training committees that guarantee transparent, democratic, and participatory processes."

“They are inalienable rights”

They also demand "immediate legal status, as an urgent measure to provide job security to those who contribute with commitment and excellence to the institutional mission. Furthermore, they demand timely payment of salaries and benefits, including timely seniority bonuses, and the provision of work clothes for 2024 and 2025. These are not discretionary benefits, but inalienable rights, the omission of which violates the dignity of the workplace."

In their petition, they also demand equal pay and benefits for teachers at INBAL and the Ministry of Public Education (SEP), as well as violence-free work environments through effective mechanisms that prevent and punish workplace hostility in all its forms, in compliance with national laws and international conventions. "We demand spaces where safety, respect, dignity, and professional integrity prevail."

The attendees placed banners on the fences protecting the National Palace and performed a batucada while chanting slogans.

They also indicated that the protest is taking place in other cities across the country, such as Morelia, Chihuahua, and Guadalajara.

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, September 9, 2025, p. 5

Berlin. German conductor Christoph von Dohnanyi, considered one of the greats of his generation, died at the age of 95, public radio NDR announced yesterday.

Christoph von Dohnanyi died in Munich “just a few days before his 96th birthday,” NDR reported.

Hendrik Lünenborg, the radio station's general manager, spoke of a "great loss" and paid tribute to "one of the most important figures in international music."

Born in Berlin, Von Dohnanyi was the grandson of the Hungarian composer and conductor Ernst von Dohnanyi. His father, uncle, and several relatives were part of the resistance against Nazism.

He is best known for having conducted the Cleveland Orchestra in the United States for almost 20 years, from 1984 to 2002.

He was also a guest conductor at major European operas in Vienna, London, Paris, and Zurich, as well as at the Salzburg Festival.

He also directed the Hamburg State Opera from 1978 to 1982, and the Frankfurt State Opera as music director.