A key worker vote at a General Motors (GM) plant in Mexico that has sparked scrutiny from Joe Biden’s administration over alleged labor rights violations would be delayed beyond the deadline set by Mexican authorities.
The new date to ratify the collective contract in the central city of Silao by vote could be announced this week, said two people familiar with the matter.
The Mexican Ministry of Labor annulled the initial elections held in April, citing “serious irregularities” in the process, and ordered the GM union to hold a new vote within 30 days of its determination, taken on May 11.
Because unions must announce such voting 10 days in advance, the replay of that act will be delayed beyond the end of that period.
GM declined to comment. The company has previously said that it would cooperate with the governments of the United States and Mexico, and that it condemns the labor rights violations.
Last month, the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) asked Mexico to review possible labor abuses at GM’s Silao plant under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (TMEC). , the trade agreement that replaced NAFTA.
The USTR expressed concern that workers had potentially been denied collective bargaining rights in the April vote, which was suspended by Mexican authorities midway through the process.
Trade Representative Katherine Tai last week referred to GM’s complaint as the first time the United States “proactively enforced” the labor rules of a trade agreement, as part of an effort to “encourage a race to the top with standards. higher and a real and fast application “.
The ratification of the collective contract is necessary under the Mexican labor reform of 2019, which supports the provisions of the TMEC, to guarantee that workers are not subject to contracts signed behind their backs.
The original vote was led by Miguel Trujillo’s union, affiliated with the Confederación de Trabajadores Mexicanos (CTM).
A report from the Ministry of Labor last month showed that GM workers in Silao were on track to cancel the contract negotiated by the CTM.
CTM top leader Carlos Aceves met with Labor Secretary Luisa Alcalde in late May to discuss how to proceed with the new vote, the two sources said.
Union head Miguel Trujillo did not respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of Labor also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
