The inspections that have been carried out in the mining region of Mexico have not only increased in the current federal administration, but also the corrective measures and sanctions, the Secretary of Labor, Luisa María Alcalde, assured on Monday.
“Since the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador began, we have been reinforcing inspections in these (mining) areas, especially to have consequences for non-compliance, so that there is no impunity,” the official said Monday during her participation in the Inter.mx Expansion Summit 2022.
“40% of the inspections we carry out in mines are carried out precisely in the coal zone of Coahuila: we have already made 27 suspensions, more than 3,000 corrective measures have been established. But not only that, but sanctions are imposed like never before and also criminal complaints and complaints before the Ministry of Economy (SE) so that the concessions can be suspended”, explained Luisa María Alcalde.
Regarding what happened in the Sabinas coal mine, where there was a flood, he specified that there is an investigation folder, three arrest warrants; in addition to the fact that the government collaborates with the Prosecutor’s Office “to find those responsible and to establish not only in this case, but in future ones that there can be no impunity,” he insisted.
Luisa María Alcalde stressed that the unit under her charge has a representative office in Sabinas with more than 14 inspectors who have specialized in the matter.
fears
The changes that have taken place in recent years in the country caused “many fears in many ways,” he acknowledged.
Among these fears, he explained, was that the companies came to feel that having new unions could lead to stoppages, strikes and internal conflicts; in addition to the possibility of receiving complaints from abroad.
“We already have enough time to show that this is not the case. On the contrary, when companies are adopting principles of respect for organizations, for the new visions that may arise, that legitimize their contracts; that promote and respect for freedom and collective bargaining, are those that have not had any problems, “said the Mayor.
Regarding the international complaints that the country has received -so far there are five-; one related to the lack of security in a union election and the other to insist on signing a collective agreement with a union that does not meet the requirements of representativeness, these are cases related to companies that are in a dispute over the distribution of profits or that intervened in a union election, he specified.
The head of the STPS recalled that one of the complaints occurred because a peaceful election was not guaranteed, including the theft of electoral material. “The labor authority had already attended to him. The Ministry of Labor had already warned that the election had to be repeated”, he pointed out.
“In none of the five cases have we reached an international panel. In all cases, through reparation plans, the Secretary of Labor, in dialogue with the company and with the unions themselves, have resolved what actions must be implemented (reparation plans) so that this does not happen in the future. The best vaccine against any type of international complaint has to do with respecting the Federal Labor Law”, warned the Mayor.
job changes
During the current federal administration there have been changes in labor matters, among them, the entry into force of the new labor justice centers, which have entered into force in three stages to cover the 32 states of the country.
“Today, 75% of conflicts are resolved in conciliation centers.” Which means that in less than 45 days, workers and companies “are signing a new agreement,” said the head of Labor and Social Welfare.
This did not occur in the conciliation and arbitration centers.
Likewise, the reform that regulates outsourcing (subcontracting) entered into force, which gave rise to the contracting of specialized services and an increase in the number of workers registered with the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) and the distribution of profits, as well as the labor reform that seeks greater transparency and democracy within the unions in the country.
Another change that has taken place, highlighted the Mayor, has to do with the increase in the minimum wage. “We have already achieved a recovery of 67% of the minimum wage,” said the official while noting that there has also been a 20% reduction in the wage gap between men and women.
