Global Brands Urge Mexico to Take Steps to Protect Worker Rights Hannah Abdulla - Just Style
go to original August 18, 2017

14 clothing brands including Adidas, C&A, Inditex and Nike have called upon Mexico's government to improve the labor justice system and its guarantees for worker rights.

The brands - who also include Puma, Gildan, PVH, VF Corp and Under Armour - joined IndustriAll global union in sending a letter to Mexico's Secretary for labor and Social Security, Alfonso Navarrete Prida, supporting constitutional reform of the labor justice system and for secondary legislation to reflect the constitutional changes.

The constitutional reform abolishes the tripartite conciliation and arbitration boards (JFCAs) and transfers their legal role to a Higher Court of Justice (Tribunal Superior de Justicia). As a result, the labor justice system will no longer be directly controlled by the President of the Republic, complicit state governors and employer-dominated trade unions.

Under the reform, the labor justice system's institution will comprise of experts who will register trade unions and collective agreements "impartially, transparently and efficiently". The hope is the reform will tackle the problem of the widespread practice of "protection contracts" across the country.

According to the Fair Labor Association, widespread use of these illegitimate collective bargaining agreements between an employer and an employer-dominated union that does not truly represent workers and their interests, means workers in Mexico are denied a right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

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