LatinNews Daily - 21 February 2024

*The governments of Mexico and the US have announced the “successful closure” of a US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) rapid response labour mechanism (RRM) case at an automotive parts facility run by Chinese-owned firm Asiaway in San Luis Potosí state, according to a statement from Mexico’s labour ministry (STPS). On 23 October the US asked Mexico to review whether workers’ rights were being denied at the plant, specifically “the right of free association and collective bargaining”. In a press release issued on 16 February, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) confirmed that Mexico has since taken “several actions to address violations of labour law”, including the reinstatement and payment of backpay to a wrongfully dismissed worker, as well as “correcting other employer interference in union activities”.  According to the same statement, other actions included the adoption and publication of a neutrality statement and company guidelines regarding freedom of association and collective bargaining; Asiaway’s distribution of the statement to each worker, along with one-on-one explanations of its contents; management training on company policies and guidelines around workers’ rights; government training of all personnel on collective bargaining rights and freedom of association at the facility. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai stated that the resolution “exemplifies the important role the RRM plays in protecting workers rights by helping workers freely conduct union activities without fear of employer reprisals or termination”. This announcement follows Mexico’s resolution of a labour dispute at a plant of US firm Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Co also in San Luis Potosí state on 7 February, another labour rights investigation invoked by the RRM.