Mexico to probe alleged labor abuses at Fujikura auto parts plant

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico will review whether workers at a Fujikura auto parts plant in the northern border city of Piedras Negras were denied the right to choose their union after a U.S. request under a trilateral trade agreement, authorities said on Friday.

Mexico’s labor ministry has 45 days to conduct an internal investigation into whether labor rights were violated, it said in a joint statement with the economy ministry.

U.S. labor officials requested the probe last week, one of more than a dozen such investigations at the behest of the U.S. under the trilateral treaty the countries hold with Canada.

The Department of Labor had said a Mexican worker advocacy group requested the investigation following allegations that Japan-based Fujikura blacklisted workers based on their prior union activity.

The company’s local branch employs some 5,000 people, where it makes wire harnesses and cables for autos, according to the Department of Labor.