The United States has asked Mexico to examine whether workers at a Draxton plant in the Mexican town of Irapuato are being denied the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
Since the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, known as the USMCA, came into effect in 2020, the USTR has launched a number of labor rights complaints against facilities in Mexico, including cases that paved the way for new unions to land better wages and benefits.
The United States has received reports that suggest the denial of labor rights, including the firing of a union official and interference to control the union at the Draxton plant, which is a manufacturer of cast and machined components with a presence in automotive markets.
When workers at the factory tried to organize a new union, led by the former official, they were allegedly intimidated, according to the USTR office.
Tai asked the Mexican government to review the matter under the USMCA’s Rapid Labor Response Mechanism (RRM). Mexico has 10 days to agree to a review and, if agreed, 45 days from Wednesday to complete the review, the USTR office said.
“The MRR is an effective enforcement tool to ensure workers at the Draxton plant can freely exercise their rights without intimidation, harassment or fear of retaliation,” Tai said on Wednesday.
2023-05-31 20:51:52
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