A denim garment factory in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes has been told to review whether workers were denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the request regarding a garment facility owned by Industrias del Interior (INISA) marked the first such labour rights complaint in the garment sector.
It alleged that INISA is coercing workers to accept the company’s proposed collective bargaining agreement revisions and intervening in the union’s internal affairs. The petition also alleged INISA is failing to bargain in good faith with the union.
The US has stepped up complaints against facilities in Mexico since the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, known as USMCA, took effect in 2020, including cases that have paved the way for new unions to secure better pay and benefits.
In a statement Tai said that this announcement demonstrates again the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to using the Rapid Response labour Mechanism to safeguard the rights of workers and the promises enshrined in the USMCA.
