A strike and road blockades by the CNTE Section 22 in Oaxaca are disrupting travel and local commerce across the region.

The protests threaten the livelihoods of thousands of small-scale vendors and artisans. Local business leaders have convened an urgent meeting to quantify the financial damages caused by the disruption of trade and transport.

The current unrest is part of a 72-hour national strike [2] called by the Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (CNTE). The movement began on a Wednesday and has extended into its second day of activity. In Oaxaca, the impacts are most severe in the Istmo region, where blockades have hampered the movement of goods and people.

According to reports, more than 11,000 businesses have been affected by the plantón [3]. This figure includes a wide array of merchants and artisans who rely on the open flow of traffic to maintain their daily sales. The business sector is now working to document these losses to determine the full economic scale of the disruption.

The CNTE is using the strike to pressure the government for specific policy changes. The union is demanding higher wages for teachers, and the complete removal of the 2007 ISSSTE law [4].

While the impact in Oaxaca is significant, related protest activity has also been reported in Mexico City. Some reports indicate that the most intense mobilizations are concentrated in the capital, though the economic toll on Oaxaca's regional merchants remains a primary concern for local authorities and business owners.

“More than 11,000 businesses are affected by the plantón.”

The clash between the CNTE's labor demands and the economic stability of Oaxaca's merchant class highlights a recurring tension in Mexican social movements. By utilizing road blockades in the Istmo region, the union maximizes its leverage over the government by creating immediate, quantifiable economic pressure on the private sector, effectively turning local commerce into a bargaining chip for national labor reforms.