Mexican federal courthouse workers brought the gears of justice to a standstill on Friday, sealing entrances with chains and blocking major thoroughfares in a nationwide protest against a new performance evaluation system they claim threatens their jobs, El Norte reported. The coordinated action, which began in the early morning, saw employees from the Poder Judicial de la Federación (PJF) lock the doors of the San Lázaro headquarters in Mexico City and deploy across at least 17 states, including Nuevo León, Baja California Sur, Hidalgo, and Guanajuato, to voice their dissent.
A System Built on ‘Subjective Criteria’
The heart of the dispute lies in the new evaluation framework, published by the Órgano de Administración Judicial (OAJ) in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on Thursday. The Sindicato de Renovación in Nuevo León, one of the leading voices of the opposition, argues the system is fundamentally flawed. In a statement signed by its state delegate, Esther Nieto Luna, the union highlighted that 30% of an employee’s rating will depend on questionnaires answered by superiors and peers—a component they deem dangerously subjective.
“The differences in personalities, labor conflicts, and hierarchical relationships could influence the evaluations, so we reject that permanence in our jobs depends on personal appreciations,” the union’s communication asserted. “We are not against being evaluated; we are constantly evaluated, always taking exams, always training to issue better sentences,” one worker told Milenio. “But we disagree with the servility the OAJ now demands from its accordion judges.”
OAJ’s Reassurance: ‘Diagnostic Only’
In a direct response to the growing unrest, the OAJ has sought to downplay the impact of the upcoming assessments. The administrative body insists that the evaluations scheduled for December are purely “diagnostic,” designed to identify training needs and not to determine job security. “It is false that the exams scheduled for December 2026 could cause the dismissal of workers or the loss of their positions,” the OAJ stated in a formal communiqué, emphasizing that this first round “will not imply approval or failure and its results will have no individual consequences on the permanence or separation of personnel.”
The OAJ further clarified that the first evaluation with legal consequences will only occur after corresponding training courses are completed.
Nationwide Gridlock and a Show of Force
In Monterrey, Nuevo León, roughly 300 workers brought a four-hour traffic standstill to a halt after completely blocking Avenida Constitución, a major artery. The demonstration, which saw workers marching with signs reading “No to punitive exams” and “No law, agreement, or bonus can be above our right to labor stability,” forced drivers onto alternate routes and drew a heavy police presence to manage the chaos.
According to El Norte, the union has announced that closures and protests will be repeated on the very dates the evaluations are scheduled—December 4, 8, 14, and 15—effectively paralyzing the PJF during its assessment period. The impact is widespread, with reports of partial or total blockages of avenues in La Paz, Baja California Sur, and significant mobilizations in Hidalgo, where 300 workers have begun an indefinite strike affecting district courts, collegiate tribunals, and federal labor courts.
Workers demand constitutional rights as protests approach
At the core of the workers’ demands is a call to respect their constitutional rights to job stability and seniority.
While the OAJ has reiterated its “disposition to dialogue,” the current standoff suggests a resolution is not imminent. The next flashpoint is already on the calendar: December 4, when the first round of protests is scheduled, and the first diagnostic evaluations are set to begin, raising the stakes for all parties involved.
