Police go on strike and take over municipal palace in Juchitán

Around 300 municipal police officers from Juchitán, Oaxaca, have been on strike since yesterday, blocking main streets in the city's busy downtown and shutting down and taking control of the municipal palace after the local treasury department failed to pay them their year-end bonuses as required by federal labor law.

The police officers announced yesterday afternoon they were going on strike after the municipal treasury department told them they don't have money to pay them.

Soon after, several police officers stormed the treasurer's office located inside the Municipal Palace held the department's director, Omar López Vásquez, and his brother, Antulio García, against their will.

Juchitán's mayor-elect Gloria Sánchez López, who takes office on January 1, said she's currently in the process of securing a loan with the Oaxaca State Government to cover this expense.

State police forces and the Armed Forces have temporarily taken over Juchitán's security.