University of Sonora reopens after 19-day strike ends with wage deal

The University of Sonora will reopen its doors within hours, bringing an end to a 19-day halt in activities. The shutdown followed a strike by staff over wage negotiations, but a majority vote has now cleared the way for classes and operations to resume. Workers from the Union of Workers and Employees of the University of Sonora (STEUS) walked off the job nearly three weeks ago. Their protest centred on stalled talks over salary adjustments. On Tuesday, members voted on a proposal from university leaders, with 919 in favour of accepting the terms and 476 against.

The decision allows the institution to restart academic processes. Officials will now reschedule the end of the semester and other key deadlines disrupted by the stoppage. To ease the transition, the university has extended access to its grade-entry system for the 2026-1 term, ensuring students can still receive evaluation records. Meanwhile, the Union of Academic Workers (Staus) held a symbolic demonstration to highlight ongoing concerns about their own wage review. General Secretary Cuauhtémoc Nieblas Cota attended the event and reiterated the union’s willingness to engage in further discussions. Staus also confirmed it would work to avoid a separate strike planned for May 14.

With the strike resolved, the university will adjust its academic calendar to make up for lost time. The grade-entry platform will stay open as needed to support students and faculty during the transition. Both unions have signalled they remain open to negotiations on outstanding issues.