A Mexican union said Monday that it will ask the United States government to investigate a Panasonic plant for alleged abuses of workers’ rights, the latest in a series of disputes that seek to take advantage of a new trade agreement to improve working conditions in Mexico. .
In the request, which was shared with Reuters, the SNITIS union group assures that a facility of the electronics manufacturer in the border city of Reynosa violated the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (TMEC) by signing a union contract behind the back of workers and fire those who protested.
“It is important to keep the United States government informed that workers’ rights are being violated,” said Rosario Moreno, general secretary of SNITIS, an independent union that arose out of dissatisfaction with traditional labor representatives in the northern state of Tamaulipas. .
When asked about the allegations, Panasonic Corporation of North America stated that it was committed to complying with labor laws and that it had “the best interest” to ensure that the dispute does not affect the freedom of collective bargaining of employees.
He also said the dispute was between the unions and “does not directly involve Panasonic.”
Both Panasonic and the labor board of Tamaulipas, where the collective contract that according to the SNITIS was signed without the consent of the workers, is registered, maintained that it was legal. The US Department of Labor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The TMEC, which replaced the 1994 NAFTA in 2020, introduced stricter labor rules designed to give Mexican workers more power to demand better wages and help prevent low labor costs from cutting more jobs in the United States.
Under the agreement, contingent on compliance with a labor reform in Mexico aimed at breaking the control of dominant unions accused of being nice to employers, workplaces that fail to guarantee workers’ rights can be sanctioned.
April elections
The United States launched the first investigations under the TMEC into labor violations in Mexico last year, demanding better conditions for workers amid union disputes at automaker General Motors and Tridonex, a US-owned auto parts plant.
The Rethink Trade program of the American Economic Liberties Project, a US non-profit organization that promotes responsible business, co-signed the petition with SNITIS.
The dispute at Panasonic, whose plant in Reynosa employs nearly 1,900 people and among other products makes car audio systems, mostly for export to the United States and Canada, stemmed from a vote last year in which workers rejected their union contract.
Such votes are required by labor reform to end the widespread practice of unions and companies signing so-called “protection contracts” without workers’ knowledge.
Labor authorities then scheduled a vote on April 21-22 for workers to choose between two other unions vying to take over the collective contract: SNITIS and SIAMARM.
However, SNITIS says that Panasonic signed a contract with SIAMARM before the April elections and began withholding union dues from workers’ wages.
SIAMARM, part of one of Mexico’s largest labor groups, the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), could not be reached for comment. Its Facebook page says that it fights for the welfare of its members.
According to the contract, which was seen by Reuters, wages start at 261.49 Mexican pesos (about $13.09) a day, just above Mexico’s daily minimum wage of 260.34 Mexican pesos (about $13.09). 03). The highest position earns 315 Mexican pesos per day (US$15.77).
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