Workers file a new labor complaint within the framework of the T-MEC against the company Manufacturas VU

company workers VU Manufactures located in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, once again resorted to the Office of Commercial and Labor Affairs of the Bureau of International Labor Affairs of the United States Department of Labor to set up a Panel to file a new complaint for the denial of labor rights.

This was announced by the Liga Sindical Obrera Mexicana (LSOM) and the Border Committee of Workers, AC presented such a petition through the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism of the Mexico-United States-Canada Treaty (T-MEC).

It should be noted that the company VU Manufacturing has as main the products and assemblies of “soft cut” for the automotive industries, marine and medical; and specifically, the plant in Piedras Negras produces car interior parts such as: armrests, door trim, and console or glove box covers; products traded between Mexico and the United States.

The first complaint filed with the VU Manufacturing company was on July 21, 2022, due to the company’s refusal to allow workers to freely organize unions to undertake collective bargaining for their contract.

At the time, the US Inter-Agency Labor Committee (ILC) determined, based on its review of the petition, that there was sufficient and credible evidence of a denial of rights to permit good faith invocation of the mechanisms of execution. The United States Trade Representative submitted a request to Mexico to review the matter.

In parallel, on August 31, 2022, the Federal Center for Conciliation and Labor Registration (CFCRL) held an election for union representation (recount) in the company; the results favored the Liga Sindical Obrero Mexicana with 186 votes and the CTM received 101 votes, with four null votes; therefore, the Federal Center issued a certificate of representation in favor of the LSOM.

Based on the results of this process, the ILC decided to resolve the matter, since “apparently the conditions were in place for a negotiation process that respects the rights of people affiliated with the League and all the people in VU.”

However, this has not happened, refers to the document delivered to the ILC, which also states that “favoritism for the CTM continues to be evident, the company refuses to accept a Collective negotiation in good faith in which the parties can, in an atmosphere of respect, analyze the various proposals and has only been stalling at the start of a negotiation; reason for which they return to request the intervention of the ILC”.

In this sense, they highlighted that there is an evident refusal to participate in person in the conciliation talks, despite the fact that the call was made by the Federal Center for Conciliation and Labor Registration.