Megapuente School Break and Worker Holidays
The first weekend of November will see a large-scale school break. According to the Secretaría de Educación Pública’s calendar, students will have Friday, October 31st off for the Junta de Consejo Técnico, resulting in 3 to 4 days of rest. However, what about workers?
The Federal Labor Law and Mandatory Rest Days
The Federal Labor Law (LFT) explicitly outlines mandatory rest days in Article 74. These are days when workers aren’t required to show up for work and, if they do, must receive double pay in addition to their regular wage. However, the LFT does not recognize November 1st and 2nd as mandatory rest days.
Which Workers Get November 1st or 2nd Off?
Although the Día de Muertos is not a statutory holiday, some companies offer this option to their employees as part of an internal agreement. This is more like a convention between the worker and employer, applicable according to each company’s policies.
Article 71 prioritizes securing Sunday as the mandatory weekly rest day for workers. If called to work on that day, employees are entitled to an additional prime of at least 25% over their regular wage.
This means that on November 2nd, workers are entitled to extra pay, not because of Día de Muertos, but due to the Sunday premium.
Other Mandatory Rest Days in 2025
While Día de Muertos is not a statutory holiday, the third Monday of November is. This is due to the commemoration on November 20th, Revolution Day. Both students and workers will have mandatory rest on November 17th.
Additionally, December 25th will also be a holiday for workers this year.
The Need for a Care System Amid School Megapuentes
Meanwhile, what can working parents with children in basic education do? Besides not attending on October 31st, some educational institutions will also consider November 3rd a rest day, forcing parents to adjust their schedules.
Throughout the school year, every last Friday of the month sees basic education students absent from school. This requires working parents to adjust their schedules, request vacation days, or even skip work to care for their children.
The labor law does not consider these dates as rest days with pay, and when combined with megapuentes throughout the year, the need for a care system becomes crucial.
On October 29th, the International Day of Care and Support was commemorated, aiming to recognize “the importance of investing in the care economy and creating robust, inclusive, and human rights-respecting systems that meet everyone’s needs,” as per the United Nations.
This is particularly relevant given that, according to the Mercosur Institute for Public Policies in Human Rights, an estimated 2.3 billion people will require care by 2030. In light of this, the Mexican government is developing a National Care System, which will construct 200 Early Childhood Education and Care Centers (CECI) by 2026.
The system aims to reduce the burden on individuals, primarily women, in family care and their integration into the labor market. However, the system is not comprehensive enough. In this vein, legislative proposals have been presented in Congress to provide workers with paid days off for personal matters.
These permits would not only allow workers to use their vacation days effectively for rest but also balance family responsibilities and potentially decrease absenteeism, as suggested in the legislative proposals.
Despite these proposals not advancing, parents must adapt to their children’s needs. Suggestions include negotiating flexible work arrangements with employers, such as remote work, staggered hours, or special leave.
