Archaeological zones’ workers protest before INAH about working conditions

MÉRIDA, Yucatán.- The operation of the archaeological zones and museums in charge of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Yucatán continues to be at risk because there are not enough resources to guarantee the conservation and maintenance of these places, assured the Secretary-General of the National Democratic Union of Culture Workers Yucatán Section (Sndtsc), Daniel Enrique Vega Cepeda.

“You can visit archaeological ruins today, but you may notice that the sites need maintenance … the Dzibilchaltún site museum is one of them; however the colleagues do what they can and what is in their hands but they are already being affected,” Vega Zepeda said.

He specified that although some of these pre-Hispanic cities are closed, they are not being given the maintenance they require. An attempt is being made to control, but there is a lot more to be done to keep these areas in good condition, and in the long run, it would even be more expensive.

“Besides. workers are put at risk, and the lack of workforce is evident, a situation that is occurring because these sites are not being provided with the necessary staff ”, he continued.

He explained that 90 percent of the personnel who are currently active belong to vulnerable groups, as they suffer from hypertension, diabetes, and overweight. “In this health problem, two colleagues died from Covid-19 and the relatives were not paid any compensation as established by law,” the union leader declared.

Vega Cepeda affirmed that 2020 was a difficult year due to the lack of tourism in archaeological zones, derived from the pandemic, which resulted in a deficit of more than one hundred billion pesos, causing workers to go through a complicated economic situation.

“The year ended but the INAH already has a deficit of more than 1.1 billion pesos, a situation that the institute will have to face now in 2021” Secretary-General of the National Democratic Union of Culture Workers Yucatán Section (Sndtsc), Daniel Enrique Vega Cepeda concluded.

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