The suppliers of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) in the states of Tabasco, Campeche, and Veracruz are planning demonstrations and other mobilizations starting in March due to the lack of compliance in payments by the state-owned company. Eustacio Pérez García, representative of the Broad Front of Pemex Subcontractors in Tabasco, revealed that the total debt of the company to suppliers in Tabasco exceeds 150 billion pesos, not counting pending invoices and new debts.
"Pemex is only making payments of between 5 and 10 percent of the total debt. We cannot continue operating with such low payments. The lack of liquidity has affected the operation of the Olmeca refinery in Dos Bocas, which is currently paralyzed," Pérez García pointed out. About 500 companies in Tabasco have been affected, having to reduce operations or suspend them completely.
Pemex suppliers in Tabasco, in coordination with businesspeople from Campeche and Veracruz, plan to carry out simultaneous protests if they do not receive a satisfactory response from the company. They have also maintained meetings with senators and federal authorities to establish a dialogue table with Pemex and the federal government in search of a solution to the payment crisis.
Last December, the payments committed by Pemex were reduced to minimal payments, causing concern among those affected that the situation may repeat itself in March. After an initial demonstration in Villahermosa in December, the suppliers decided to wait following the intervention of the Secretary of the Interior, but they now plan to resume protests if the debt of the oil company is not resolved.
