La Jornada: The federal government has liabilities of more than $13 billion due to lawsuits against former workers

The public administration has a contingent liability of 13,606 million pesos due to labor lawsuits of former workers from 27 agencies.

According to the reports attached to the 2025 public account, until the end of last year, 16,495 court processes were in force, promoted by former public servants.

And although it has only been accounted for what the State would have to pay for 10,756 cases, the compensation provided for former officials who allege unjustified dismissals and claim benefits exceeds the joint budget of the Secretariats of the Interior and Economy for this year.

Half, in Education and Finance

According to the reports presented by the agencies, only the Secretariats of Public Education (SEP) and the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) concentrate more than half of the contingent liabilities for labor lawsuits, with a combined total of 7 thousand 42 million 951 thousand 851 pesos.

In detail, in the SEP, which brings together the largest staff in the federal government, as it integrates the network of professors and administrative officials, until the end of last year there were 6,113 active lawsuits, of which (until the moment the public account was delivered) the cost of 1,669 had not been estimated.

However, according to the estimates that the agency does have, the liability in court for lawsuits filed by former workers reaches 4,184 million pesos.

In the tax industry, most of the liabilities are due to labor lawsuits filed by former employees of the Tax Administration Services (SAT). In total, the SHCP reported 2,384 open labor lawsuits, and although the amount of 144 has not been accounted for, at the moment it estimates that it could spend 2,858 million pesos if those lawsuits were lost.

At the beginning of the last administration, especially in December 2018, former SAT workers led the main mobilizations for the elimination of work spaces.

This body was asked if the contingent liabilities for labor lawsuits reported in the public account are part of the output recorded in the first months of the last administration, but until the closing of this edition there was no response.

The figures are followed by the Secretariat of Citizen Security, with a contingent liability of 1,17 million for labor lawsuits; Government, with 747 million, and Health, with 708 million.

For the Anti-Corruption Secretariat, a contingent liability of 659 million pesos is reported. However, the amount may be higher, given that the agency absorbed part of the structure of the defunct National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI). According to public account reports, there are 54 labor lawsuits filed against the defunct institution.