USW Leaders Call on Mexico to Respect Workers' Rights

Contact: Ben Davis, (412) 562-2501, bdavis@usw.org

PITTSBURGH (August 26) – A delegation of global union leaders met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on August 23 at his Mexico City residence to deliver a message of solidarity with Los Mineros, its exiled leader Napoleón Gómez, and the nation’s other democratic unions.

The high-level delegation, which included USW Canadian National Director Ken Neumann and USW International Affairs Director Ben Davis, called for Mexico to end the practice of “protection contracts” (signed between employers and company-controlled unions, often without the workers’ knowledge), reform labor laws, and resolve long-standing conflicts with democratic unions.

“It’s long past time for the Mexican government to respect the rights of workers to organize the unions of their choosing,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “We hope that the Mexican government will follow through on these and the other issues, including dropping the baseless charges against Napoleón Gómez so he can return home.”

Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), led the delegation, which included the General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, Jyrki Raina, and Assistant General Secretary Fernando Lopes. Also participating were Victor Baez, General Secretary of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA) and Alexandre Praça from the ITUC Human Rights Department.

“We had a clear message for the Mexican President,” said Neumann.  “No more persecution of Los Mineros and other democratic unions. No more allowing employers to impose company unions on the workers. Respect the rights of Mexican workers now.”

Raina declared the support of the global trade union movement for Gómez and asked Peña Nieto to drop the criminal charges filed against him by the previous administration. He gave the president a copy of Gómez’s recently published book, “Collapse of Dignity.” Gómez has led the mineworkers union from Canada since 2006 as Mexico continues to seek his arrest despite five appeals court decisions exonerating him.

President Peña Nieto and Mexican Labor Secretary Alfonso Navarrete Prida agreed to consult with the International Labor Organization on a technical review of Mexico’s labor laws and to take steps regarding the ratification of ILO Convention 98 on organizing and collective bargaining.  They also agreed to continue to work with the global unions and their Mexican affiliates to seek solutions.

For a full report on the delegation’s mission, CLICK HERE.