LatinNews Daily - 25 July 2024

*Mexico’s economy (SE) and labour (STPS) ministries have announced the successful resolution of a US complaint regarding a labour rights dispute involving an RV Fresh Foods S.A. de C.V. facility, which produces guacamole in Uruapan municipality, Michoacán state. In February US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai announced that the US had asked Mexico to carry out a review via the rapid response labour mechanism (RRM) outlined in the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) after receiving a petition from a Mexican union confederation alleging that RV Fresh Foods interfered in union activities. According to the statement released yesterday by the SE and STPS, RV Fresh Foods has implemented various corrective measures in coordination with the STPS in response. These include publishing and distributing a letter committing neutrality in union-related issues as well as a document on company guidelines regarding the conduct of personnel; providing training to company personnel on these commitments; and enabling the STPS to provide training at the facility for workers on the rights of association and collective negotiation, among other things. Both countries also agreed on a remediation plan, which includes continued monitoring and training by the International Labour Organisation, inter alia – the successful implementation of which led to the resolution of the case.