It is almost certain that This week the Senate of the Republic will approve the reforms to the Infonavit Law and the Federal Labor Law sent by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. The question that arises is: Is this reform a threat to saving workers or a historical opportunity to ensure that all people can access decent housing?
People who are against the initiative argue that the Government will use the resources of the Fund to finance public works or political projectsin addition to pointing out that it seeks to reduce the participation of the business and labor sectors in decision making. According to them, this could lead to lack of transparency and control, leading to the collapse of the fund for workers’ home.
Lee: They approve in Senate commissions reform to the Infonavit Law
They have also expressed concern about the creation of a filial company to build housing, which, they say, will compete “unfair” with more than 7 thousand private construction companies, putting their existence at risk.
However, Both the text of the reform and its motivations reveal hidden interests behind these criticisms. Far from being a threat, this proposal represents a historical advance that took more than a century to materialize. Since the early twentieth century, figures such as the brothers Ricardo and Enrique Flores Magón They fought to establish social housing as a fundamental human right for the working class.
Although This yearning was reflected in article 123 of the Constitution since 1917, it was never met in a generalized way. Not even the creation of the National Housing Fund in 1972 managed to solve the problem.
In Mexico there are more than 35 million homes and, although currently Infonavit finances 48.6% of acquired homesthere is a deficit of 8.2 million housing and housing production has been complicated due to financing, which in 2023 reached rates above 14%, in addition to high inflation in supplies for construction worldwide.
The reform was presented by President Claudia Sheinbaum on December 12, 2024, as a consequence of the constitutional reform promoted by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose approval by the local congresses was verified on November 6. The Congress of the Union has until May 6 to make the necessary changes, as established by the transitory constitutional mandate.
Also: business organizations and unions ask not to weaken the Infonavit
The reform seeks to grant the Infonavit powers to build housing, allowing workers to acquire it through social income, with a monthly cost that does not exceed 30% of their salary, or in property. The priority are single mothers workers, workers of limited resources, with disabilities and young people.
It should be noted that, although the integration of the General Assembly decreases from 45 to 30 people, it maintains the proportional tripartite representation, with 10 government representatives, the same amount as the sectors of employers and workers.
How will it be guaranteed that Infonavit allocates the resources that are under its administration to achieve its objectives?
Must request, where appropriate, the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit the approval of the financing that it receives and the General Assembly of the Institute must establish the policies of organization of accounting and internal audit, in accordance with the current financial information standards and applicable.
Similarly, the Comptroller General of the Institute will be expected to be notified in case of non -compliance with the AutoCorrection Program. Regarding the filial company that will be created, it must be pointed out that the text of the reform indicates that parastatal entity will not be considered, He will enjoy full management capacity and regulate for private law, but will observe principles of legality, honesty, transparency and fight against corruption. In addition, the Superior Audit of the Federation will have a complementary role in its inspection.
Recently, President Sheinbaum reported on a series of irregularities detected in Infonavit, which would have occurred in six years prior to President Andrés Manuel. Among them, there are fraudulent compensation for billions of pesos to mass suppliers and judgments that led the Infonavit to pay 29 billion pesos to corrupt offices, which caused more than 249 thousand workers to lose their home.
To these scandals are added the complaints made by the president of the Republic regarding multiple credits fraud on the same home, fraudulent collective insurance and unfinished projects that eroded the coffers of the institute.
EM
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(Tagstotranslate) Government of Mexico (T) Claudia Sheinbaum (T) Infonavit