Closure of venues reflects the state of the corporate security sector

Alejandro Alegría

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, June 6, 2025, p. 5

The closure of museums in Mexico City only reflects some of the situations facing the private security sector, such as the lack of workers and poor working conditions, said Armando Zúñiga Salinas, president of the United Security Groups for Mexico (ASUME).

Unfortunately, many of these tenders are far removed from operational reality , the business leader told La Jornada.

The budget allocated to these processes is insufficient even to cover a decent salary, much less to provide legal benefits or adequate training , the businessman commented.

There are always companies that participate under these conditions. Most of them are newly established firms, without a solid track record or structure, which is reflected in the low quality of the service they offer , he noted.

Zúñiga, who was president of the Coparmex Business Center in Mexico City, indicated that it is not unusual for these tenders to establish work shifts of up to 24 continuous hours, in open violation of the Federal Labor Law .

According to the award of tender LA-48-D00-048D00001-N-5-2025, the contract to provide security services in museums in Mexico City, as well as in 26 other entities, was awarded to the companies SSS Asistencia y Supervisión SA de CV and Sistemas Prácticos en Seguridad Privada SA de CV, which were to begin operating on June 1st and conclude on December 31st of this year, replacing the Auxiliary Police.

Zúñiga emphasized that the sector is also facing a personnel crisis, as there are thousands of vacancies across the country and it is increasingly difficult to find people willing to work in private security, especially when salaries are low and there are no benefits or real opportunities for development .

For museums located in Mexico City alone, the INAH indicated that a minimum of 136 security personnel and a maximum of 296 were required.