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ITUC, IndustriALL meet with Mexican President

26 August, 2013ITUC and IndustriALL meet with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, who agrees to dialogue and says his government will not persecute independent unions.

A joint delegation of the ITUC, TUCA and IndustriALL Global Union including the USW met on 23 August 2013 with President Enrique Peña Nieto and Labour Secretary Alfonso Navarrete Prida at the Los Pinos Presidential Palace in Mexico City.

With a newly elected Mexican President and Mexico's visible international role, the global unions had asked for a meeting to discuss the multiple labour rights problems including protection contracts, labour law reform, the non-functioning OECD National Contact Point issues, resolutions of specific conflicts, and G-20 issues.

The President and Labour Secretary affirmed that this government has no intention to persecute independent unions and there is a commitment to pursue resolution to existing conflicts. In particular they recognized the legitimate leadership of Napoleón Gómez Urrutia of the mine and metalworkers’ union Los Mineros.

IndustriALL general secretary Jyrki Raina welcomed the recognition, but expressed concern about the continued legal actions against Napoleón Gómez, a member of the IndustriALL Executive Committee. He insisted:

Napoleón has been exonerated in all cases of the same trumped up charges by different Mexican courts. This judicial game has to stop.

Negotiations are continuing with the Mexican electrical workers’ union SME on finding solutions for the remaining 16.000 workers after the closure of the Luz y Fuerza del Centro company in 2009.

The government recognized that protection contracts exist, but it does not see them as a legitimate instrument within the law. There is a commitment to continue a dialogue to look for a solution, and take steps regarding the ratification of ILO Convention 98.

Global unions have been united in opposing protection contracts to guarantee freedom of association and collective bargaining. In many Mexican workplaces employers sign contracts with unions that the workers do not know about and have no ability to participate in.

The government said it would look at dialogue with the unions in line with the ILO’s recommendations in the complaint 2694.

The government agreed to consult with the ILO Director General regarding a technical review of last year’s labour law reform. The reform made some progress but fell short in the areas of union democracy and transparency. 

ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow urged President Peña Nieto to support the priorities of the Global Unions at the G-20 leaders meeting in St. Petersburg in September. Burrow said:

Facing massive unemployment, we urgently need to create jobs beginning with coordinated investment in infrastructure, the inclusion of young people through the scaling up of apprenticeships and formalizing the informal economy including with a social protection floor and a minimum wage on which workers can live with dignity.

The Mexican government gave a detailed understanding of the problem of the informal sector and the need to formalize work. They reiterated their commitment to implement universal social protection.

Members of the international delegation (for the full mission report, see here) will follow up with the Mexicans unions to ensure progress in the different areas on these issues.