Read this article in:
- Español
English
20 November, 2012At a meeting chaired by Napoleón Gómez, company and trade union representatives from the mining, metalworking and steel sectors made important commitments to improving labour relations in Mexico.
The National Miners' Union (SNTMMSRM) organized a meeting between company and union representatives on 8 November in Vancouver to discuss improving labour relations. The initiative resulted from the raising of political expectations in Mexico and because the union feels it is essential for trade unionists, company management and workers to exchange views so they can all pull in the same direction.
The meeting was attended by more than 40 company and union representatives from the mining, metalworking and steel sectors. They discussed the Synergy, Joint Responsibility and Job Creation Plan for Labour and Company Productivity in Mexico, proposed by the SNTMMSRM.
The meeting was chaired by the union’s general secretary, Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, and could prove to be very important in paving the way for improved labour relations not only in the mining sector but in the country as a whole, said a union spokesperson.
He added that the aim of the meeting was to seek commitments on job security and labour issues and in this way “promote sustained economic development in Mexico on the basis of justice and equity”.
The meeting agreed to maintain and develop good relations between employers and workers; promote dialogue and constructive negotiations; increase employment; improve working conditions, job quality, health and safety; promote innovation; encourage mutual respect and dignified treatment between employers and the union; reach agreement on labour relations in the country; and work towards providing job security.
A union spokesperson said that the meeting will strengthen its fight to safeguard the basic rights of its members and their families, such as trade union independence, freedom of association, the right to strike and collective bargaining.
He added that the meeting in Canada was “of major significance for employers and the union”. He said “it sought a profound improvement in labour relations in the mining, metalworking and steel sectors in Mexico and would serve as a reference point for doing the same in the rest of the country”.