Sex Workers Fight for Union Rights in Yucatán

Mérida, Yucatán — Backed by approximately 500 affiliated members nationwide, including 40 in Yucatán, the Puteril Labor Coalition (CLaP) is pursuing a historic step: the unionization of sex work in Mexico. The organization aims to secure legal recognition of sex work as legitimate employment, beginning with demands for dignified working conditions, visibility, and labor rights.

Demanding Dignified Working Conditions

"Social justice means recognizing jobs and trades that have been discriminated against and subjected to violence," said Dafne Aguilar Martínez, CLaP’s representative in Yucatán. The coalition, established two years ago, has organized nationally around four key objectives: formal recognition of sex work, access to social security, a life free from violence, and participation in decision-making processes.

Aguilar Martínez emphasized the legal barriers, particularly the persistent conflation of sex work with human trafficking. "Sex work is work. If it isn’t recognized as such, it remains in a gray area where it’s either treated as a crime or rendered invisible," she stated.

While Mérida has made progress, such as eliminating administrative penalties against sex workers in local regulations, federal laws remain restrictive. "This won’t be achieved without a fight or without opening a dialogue about labor rights," Aguilar Martínez added.

Legal Hurdles and Stigma

A significant obstacle is the lack of legal recognition under Mexico’s Federal Labor Law. "To form a union, the work must first be recognized, and sex work has been excluded from that recognition," Aguilar Martínez noted. Many workers, including content creators, platform-based workers, and men in the industry, face violence, discrimination, and stigma.

Affiliation efforts are further complicated by fear of public exposure. "Some say, 'I’m a content creator,' but don’t identify as sex workers due to fear or lack of awareness. That’s part of what we want to change," she explained.

Seeking Government Support

CLaP is also engaging with government agencies, such as the Secretariat for Women, to establish formal dialogue. "The problem is that when there’s institutional support, it’s often under the table—without transparency or media coverage," Aguilar Martínez said.

Though full unionization remains legally unattainable without federal recognition, CLaP cites Articles 354 and 355 of the Federal Labor Law to organize as a coalition. "We’re just starting. We may not see unionization in our lifetime, but we have to pave the way," she concluded.

The coalition currently has active chapters in Mexico City, Mérida, Campeche, and Playa del Carmen.