Guanajuato’s Government Signs Agreement to Protect Labor Rights
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Guanajuato’s Government Signs Agreement to Protect Labor Rights

Photo by:   Unsplash, Uriel Soberanes
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Alfonso Núñez By Alfonso Núñez | Journalist & Industry Analyst - Fri, 03/18/2022 - 10:42

Guanajuato’s Sub-ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) signed a collaboration agreement to improve working conditions for automotive workers in the state.

 

As part of Mexico’s “Golden Triangle,” alongside Mexico City, Jalisco and Nuevo Leon, Guanajuato is the heart of El Bajio’s automotive manufacturing industry thanks to its numerous manufacturing plants, which include those of General Motors, Mazda, Honda and Volkswagen. The state’s automotive plants employ over 627,430 people.

 

The collaboration agreement between Guanajuato’s government and the PADF will boost generation, compilation, standardization, consultation and exchange of information on compliance with labor rights, benefitting the state’s workforce. Through this agreement, state authorities and business chambers look to train employees in labor matters regarding unions, legitimization of collective bargaining agreements and prevention of gender violence and discrimination in the workplace.  

 

Recently, workers in General Motors’ plant in Silao, Guanajuato, held an election to replace a longstanding union affiliated with the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CMT), which they felt had worked against their interests. The vote, as well as subsequent union votes inspired by their efforts, was supported and monitored by US and Canadian authorities. Under USMCA’s Chapter 23, companies in North America are required to oversee the validity of union election and union leader votes.

 

During the collaboration’s signing, awards were presented to graduates of the diploma course “Labor Justice and Labor Rights Under USMCA for the Automotive Industry,” offered by Universidad Iberoamericana’s campus in Leon.

 

Present in the signing were Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security Marco Antonio Rodríguez Vázquez, PADF Mexico President Valeria Uribe Robles and Rolando Alaniz Rosales, President, Guanajuato Automotive Cluster (CLAUGTO). This week, Rosales addressed gender equity in the industry and encouraged more women to study automotive engineering, a field currently dominated by men. Rosales also criticized the Federal Government’s proposed energy reform, which could result in the loss of 2 million jobs and millions in FDI. According to Rosales, 91 percent of investment in Guanajuato’s cluster comes from foreign entities.

 

Meanwhile, the semiconductor shortage lowered automotive sales in the state by 11.6 percent in Jan. 2022 and more plant shutdowns are expected, says Fausto Cuevas, Director, AMIA. Wait times for semiconductors have risen to 26.2 weeks because the developing conflict between Russia and the Ukraine is delaying deliveries worldwide.

Photo by:   Unsplash, Uriel Soberanes

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