Key Issues in the Puebla Case

Garment workers march in Puebla The failure of Mexican labour justice [0];

Clear evidence of protection contracts [0];

Intimidation and coercion by employers [0];

The failure to provide information and representation to workers [0];

The enforcement of health and safety and employment standards legislation [0].

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Protection contracts

The evidence presented at the hearing on May 28 reinforces the need for the Canadian NAO to take strong action to address the problem of protection contracts in Mexico.

At Matamoros, the existence of the contract signed without the knowledge and consent of the workers was a major obstacle to the workers' desire to join the trade union of their choice and improve their terms and conditions of employment.

At Tarrant, there is much confusion about whether the Employer had signed an agreement with the FROC-CROC. The fact that the employees and their advocates do not know, and cannot even find out whether a collective agreement covers the workplace merely confirms the need for a registry of collective agreements.

It is clear from our complaint that no progress has been made on the dissemination of collective agreements and union information to workers.

This issue must be addressed in a concrete way by the Canadian, U.S. and Mexican governments.

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Read more about the Puebla case and the NAO hearings [0]
Read more about the North American Agreement on Labour Cooperation (NAALC) [0]