Subject professors from the UNAM Faculty of Sciences are organizing to demand a solution to the administrative lag that has caused hundreds of them to spend many months without signing their contracts and the consequent lack of payment. They have suffered incomplete payments and failure to pay monthly benefits.
In an interview with La Silla Rota, professors Carlos Prieto and José Eduardo Padilla Castillo offered details of this situation that, although it has been exacerbated by the pandemic, had been going on a long time.
Carlos Prieto, who teaches Analytical Geometry 1, reported that, in general, UNAM is slow in its administrative procedures since most of them are done manually. The situation has aggravated by the pandemic as the faculty management says only one person is doing the work since unionized personnel is not working.
In December, 700 teachers had not signed a contract (they have signed every semester because they are not structural teachers), out of a total of 3 thousand that make up the subject plant. There are still 140 who do not have the document that allows them to collect their salary monthly.
The situation reached a degree that those getting paid, a support fund was formed for those who needed it most. Professor Prieto specified that 29 teachers were supported financially in December and 45 in January.
Professor Prieto indicated that the process previously took a month and a half, and now it is taking up to four months. And even those who have already signed have their payment delayed. He indicated that the Faculty''s management has recognized errors and that they will work on a system to automate the process. However, in 2020 they have not been able to solve it, and the problem continues.
He noted that there are many discontents, mainly because there is not the required communication. When the teachers complain by mail, their messages are not answered or told to complain to another instance.
Another problem is that those who have received the payment have been incomplete. In the cases of teachers beginning to teach, or those who restart after some interruption, generally, they do not receive the full payment. Although they are replaced, another procedure must be done.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A PAYMENT STUB, YOU DO NOT HAVE ISSSTE OR OTHER BENEFITS
Professor José Eduardo Padilla Castillo, who teaches subjects such as Quantum Mechanics, Advanced Mathematics, and Computational Physics, pointed out that he has suffered from the five years of teaching intermittently late payments. Payment is made at the end of the semester.
And if you do not have a pay stub, you do not have ISSSTE. And due to the delay in payment, you do not receive the other benefits established in the Personnel Statute of the Subject such as a voucher for books, academic recognition, or pantry help, some of which are paid monthly. When the payment arrives at the end of the semester, as a single payment, they only pay for one month, even if they have worked four or five months
This happened in particular to Professor Padilla in 2016, 2017, and 2018 and he said that teachers who are new and do not know these benefits do not claim them. Only the aid for the pantry is 1,225 pesos per month.
The professor emphasized that this is not only happening in the Faculty of Sciences. Professors from other faculties informed him of the same situation.
RESPONSE FROM UNAM
UNAM was asked for a position regarding the teacher''s claim. The institution shared with La Silla Rota a letter issued by the Faculty of Sciences management addressed to its community. It indicates that it has been working with very few administrative personnel throughout the UNAM. Some of those who did attend were infected.
This meant that upon returning in January the promised deadlines could not be fully met. It is important to recognize that many base and trusted workers have done a commendable job by continuing to work despite the circumstances, to try to give continuity to the administrative processes
The Faculty of Sciences'' direction indicates in that letter that the delayed payments have been identified and will be defined this week with the General Directorate of Personnel (DGP), the payment dates for the cases still pending.
Concerning errors in payments on salaries, Christmas bonuses and vacation bonuses, compensation, adjustments to the number of hours, "we understand that the DGP has not answered all the requests and above all, due to the lack of personnel, it has not explained in detail unfavorable cases. "
The Faculty of Sciences indicates that for this reason, a "very operative" questionnaire was designed that they began to distribute on Saturday, February 13, to 140 teachers and assistants who are in this situation. He reported that this week meetings with the DGP will begin to review case by case.
Traducción: Valentina K. Yanes