Judicial Workers and Supreme Court Agree to Modify Performance Evaluation Process

The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), the Judicial Administration Office (OAJ), and national executive committees of federal judicial worker unions agreed to modify the performance evaluation process to guarantee that it will not carry disciplinary sanctions or job separations.

The agreement followed meetings between SCJN Chief Justice Hugo Aguilar Ortiz and union representatives amid a national labor strike that began on Friday, November 6, to protest the newly established evaluation framework.

According to an official statement, the Supreme Court indicated that the mechanism will be revised to address employee concerns and ensure that test outcomes cannot be used as an instrument for workplace punishment or dismissal. Extraordinary evaluations requested by court supervisors will be eliminated, and criteria with subjective factors will be adjusted.

The controversy began after the publication of the General Agreement AG-POAJ-025/2026 in the Official Gazette of the Federation on November 5, which outlined a new performance evaluation process for judicial career personnel. The mechanism involved examinations for court secretaries, actuaries, and judicial officers.

Workers expressed concern that the tests could jeopardize their job stability, seniority, and permanent status, leading to nationwide protests and facility closures on Friday, November 6. Following the weekend agreement, the SCJN announced that all federal jurisdictional bodies would resume normal operations on Monday, November 9.

Chief Justice Hugo Aguilar Ortiz held separate meetings with Jesús Gilberto González Pimentel, general secretary of the Federal Judiciary Workers Union, and Juan Alberto Prado Gómez, general secretary of the National Renewal Service Union of Federal Judiciary Workers, expressing a commitment to institutional dialogue.

During the discussions, Aguilar Ortiz emphasized that the evaluation process should serve to strengthen the professional capacities of personnel and improve the judicial system without acting as a punitive measure. Substantive modifications to the General Agreement will be published shortly in the Official Gazette, alongside the establishment of permanent working tables.