Mexico City Congress Considers Banning Freelance Contracts for Staff
Mexico City, March 16, 2026 – An initiative has been introduced in the Mexico City Congress to prohibit the hiring of legislative staff under freelance (honorarios) contracts. This proposal, presented amidst a wave of labor reforms in Mexico, aims to extend employment protections to public sector employees.
The initiative seeks to amend the Regulations of the Mexico City Congress to forbid the hiring of advisors and trusted personnel under freelance arrangements. Currently, parliamentary groups and coalitions within the legislative body can hire staff on a freelance basis, charging the local Congress for these services.
Addressing Precarious Employment Conditions
The proposal highlights that workers employed under freelance or assimilated freelance schemes, despite adhering to fixed schedules, receiving orders from immediate superiors, and performing duties at a fixed location, do not receive benefits or job stability comparable to those hired under other modalities, often referred to as ‘structural’ employees.
This means that freelance workers lack statutory benefits such as social security, Christmas bonus (aguinaldo), and vacation premium. The initiative intends to ensure that advisors and trusted personnel hired by legislators receive these benefits from the moment they are employed.
The proposed change to Article 21 of the Mexico City Congress Regulations states: “Their hiring in the modality of professional services for fees is prohibited in order to guarantee their labor stability and the granting of benefits established by applicable legislation.” It further adds: “Formulate the general working conditions for public servants; as well as for Congress workers; guaranteeing labor stability and the granting of benefits established by applicable legislation in their hiring.”
Temporary Contracts and Lack of Stability
Freelance workers in the Mexico City Legislature typically sign temporary contracts ranging from three to six months. This practice, according to the initiative, prevents them from achieving job stability and accessing fundamental labor rights.
The initiative’s explanatory statement emphasizes: “These contracts are made under the scheme or modality of fees, with periodic renewal of said contract (3 or 6 months), which evidently generates instability and the impossibility of being entitled to labor benefits that, far from discouraging productivity, fosters a spirit of uncertainty and a violation of the rights of workers who are a fundamental part of the legislative work of the Congress.”
The proposal cites precedents in other legislative bodies within Mexico, such as the Congress of the State of Mexico and the federal Chamber of Deputies, which have provisions for hiring advisors with benefits.
The Aspiration for Labor Stability
Economic and salary stability is a highly valued aspect for workers, with 55% of private sector employees surveyed by OCC considering it the most important factor for achieving labor well-being. For Human Resources departments, it ranks as the third most relevant factor (39%), after professional development and growth opportunities.
The proposed ban on freelance contracts for advisors and trusted personnel in the Mexico City Congress seeks to achieve this stability, particularly because these employees often exhibit characteristics of subordinate workers: fixed hours, work performed at legislative facilities, and direct supervision.
The Mexico City Congress comprises 66 legislators who can request the hiring of specialized advisors and trusted personnel based on their needs and the internal rules of each party and parliamentary group. The tasks performed by parliamentary advisors include researching and drafting legislative initiatives, organizing forums and legislative events, and managing citizen petitions to the local Congress.
Salaries for advisors vary according to their assigned level in the local Congress’s pay scale, ranging from 3,797.40 gross pesos per month for the HD1 rank to 105,360.30 pesos per month for the highest level, HD23.
Deputy Jesús Sesma Presents the Initiative
The initiative was presented by Deputy Jesús Sesma, president of the Mexico City Congress’s steering committee and a deputy from the Green Party.
“While human rights, social justice, and equality are discussed in this venue, there are workers in precarious conditions, without access to benefits or stability, with contracts renewed every 3 and 6 months, an uncertainty that prevents planning for the future and limits access to basic rights such as vacations, Christmas bonus, and social security,” Sesma stated during the presentation.
The Workers’ Party (PT) parliamentary group, along with Deputy Xochitl Bravo, coordinator of Morena in the local Congress, have joined in supporting the initiative.
The proposal has been forwarded to the Commission on Normativity, Studies, and Parliamentary Practices, chaired by Hugo Lobo of Morena.
This is not the first attempt to ban freelance advisor contracts. In 2020, Alessandra Rojo de la Vega, then a local deputy for the Green Party and now mayor of Cuauhtémoc, proposed a similar initiative, but it did not succeed.
Source: https://es-us.noticias.yahoo.com/proponen-prohibir-contrataci%C3%B3n-honorarios-congreso-140600805.html
