LatinNews Daily - 26 January 2024

*Coparmex, Mexico’s leading private sector lobby, has called on workers affiliated with the independent Audi Mexico trade union (Sitaudi) to restart dialogue with the car manufacturing company and “reach an agreement that benefits both parties and therefore avoids affecting the economic development of the automotive industry in Mexico.” Unionised workers at the Mexican unit of German carmaker Audi went on strike on 24 January after negotiations to reach an agreement on wage increases failed. Early last year, Mexico’s federal labour conciliation and registration centre (CFCRL) announced that Audi had reached an agreement with the union to raise salaries by 9.4% in 2023, avoiding a strike planned for January 2023 at the Audi Mexico plant in San José Chiapa municipality, Puebla state. However, negotiations for a new wage hike this year have broken down, with Audi rejecting the union’s request for a 15.5% increase and proposing a salary increase of 6.5% instead, according to press reports. The CFCRL and Mexico’s federal labour ministry (STPS) have stated they are committed to continue acting as intermediaries between Sitaudi and Audi to help reach an agreement on the revision of the collective labour contract and end the strike. The Puebla branch of the national chamber of transformation industries (Canacintra), another major business federation, has also expressed concerns over the strike, noting that Audi’s proposed 6.5% wage increase is above inflation which stood at 4.66% in annual terms at the end of 2023.