At least four initiatives on the increase of the Christmas bonus are still pending review in the Labor and Social Welfare Commission of the Chamber of Representatives.
First, came the extension of the vacation period from the first year of work, and now the double Christmas bonus. The rights of Mexican workers have gained relevance in recent months due to these two proposals, one already approved and the other still in process.
On August 15, Manuel de Jesús Baldenebro Arredondo, a Morena congressman, presented a reform initiative to increase the Christmas bonus granted to private sector workers from 15 to 30 days, double the legal minimum.
“The Christmas bonus is a benefit that has not been updated in more than 50 years of the Federal Labor Law, so it is fair and necessary that the base that moves the economy of this country, the workers, see tangible benefits,” he posted on his Facebook account.
According to the draft decree, the Morena representative proposed to modify the first paragraph of Article 87 of the Federal Labor Law (LFT), which establishes that workers are entitled to an annual bonus that must be paid before December 20, equivalent to at least 15 days of salary.
The document was turned to the Labor and Social Welfare Commission of the Chamber of Deputies for its analysis and subsequent discussion.
An identical initiative was presented in the Senate of the Republic by representatives of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM) on March 7 of this year.
According to the promoters, Gabriela Benavides Cobos, Alejandra Lagunes Soto Ruíz and María Graciela Gaitán Díaz, the initiative intends to contribute to the financial policy to address the salary inequalities that, since the beginning of 2023, have been applied to the 20 percent salary increase by the Federal Executive.
“The Christmas bonus is every workers’ right for the rendering of a service during a working year, which if put in perspective with the population that works under a minimum wage that barely covers the basic food products, doubling the “Aguinaldo” to 30 days is just an act of humanity”, they detailed in their presentation.
The gazette of the Senate of the Republic states that the initiative was referred to the United Commissions of Labor and Social Welfare; and Legislative Studies, second for its review.
A few months later, on April 26 of this year, the legislator of the Labor Party (PT), Ana Laura Bernal Camarena, presented the same initiative but before the Chamber of Deputies.
On December 15, 2021, the PRI deputy, Reynel Rodríguez Muñoz, proposed that the amount of the Christmas bonus be increased by one day for each year of service completed as from the third year of seniority until reaching 40 days of salary. However, his initiative was rejected in April 2022.
After the rejection, Reynel Rodriguez presented a similar bill again in November of the same year. On March 15, 2022, the deputy of Morena, Alfredo Aurelio González Cruz, echoed the PRI member and proposed to increase the same salary days.
With this last proposal, there are now four initiatives on the subject that have already been referred to the Labor and Social Welfare Commission of the Chamber of Deputies and are still pending review.
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