US requests probe of alleged labor abuses at Grupo Mexico mine

By Daina Beth Solomon

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -U.S. labor officials on Friday asked Mexico to investigate alleged worker rights abuses at a Grupo Mexico mine in the central state of Zacatecas, the 11th U.S. labor complaint in Mexico under a 2020 trade pact.

The U.S. request follows a petition from a Mexican union, Los Mineros, along with two major U.S. labor organizations, the AFL-CIO and the United Steelworkers.

The groups alleged Grupo Mexico resumed operations at its San Martin lead, zinc and mine even as a strike was in place.

They also said the company bargained with a group of employees who did not have the right to formally represent the mine’s workforce.

Grupo Mexico did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Respect for a union’s status as the exclusive collective bargaining representative and its right to strike are critical components of Mexico’s labor reform,” said U.S. Department of Labor Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee in a statement.

Mexican law aimed at improving workplace conditions underpins the 2020 trade pact known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which has paved the way for new unions to secure better pay and benefits.

The U.S. government on Monday also filed a complaint in Mexico over alleged rights abuses at a garment facility in Aguascalientes state owned by Industrias del Interior (INISA).