1,000 Yucatán businesses schedule black-out protest against tariff hike

In light of the increase in electricity tariffs, a black-out protest by approximately 1,000 businesses in Yucatán is set for Nov. 13.

The businesses are expected to turn off the electricity for an hour from 7-8 p.m.

Business leader Juan Manuel Díaz Ponce said that despite the announcement of tariffs decreasing between 12 and 17 percent in November and December, the electrical blackout will still take place. He further mentioned that some businesses have been hit with rate hikes as high as 300 percent.

“We will not stop paying [our power bills], but we are studying other protest measures to fight the high rates,” Díaz said.

Ponce said that the Energy Regulatory Commission is doing nothing to resolve the issue. Additionally, he and other business leaders blamed President Peña Nieto and president-elect López Obrador for a lack of political will to end the problem.