News

A rally was held in the framework of the “Second Day of World Solidarity with Democratic Unions in Mexico”, which convened representatives from federations of metalworkers (FITIM), chemical, energy, mine and general (ICEM), transport (ITF), textile and leather (FITTVC), building and wood (FITCM), agriculture and food (UITA), public services (PSI), journalists (IFJ), education (IE) and service (UNI) workers. They were side by side with representatives from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the American Labor Federation – Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), the National Union of Mine and Metalworkers of Mexico (SNTMMSSRM), the Mexican Electrical Workers Union (SME), the National Union of PEMEX Technical and Professional Employees (UNTyPP) and the National Workers Union (UNT).



At this rally, unions from the United States, Mexico and Canada ratified their commitment to the creation of the Tri-National Solidarity Alliance (TNSA), and as a part of this, their commitment to the protection of workers’ rights in the face of increasing antiunion policies and the crisis derived from neoliberal policies. With a reference to the date that was the occasion for this global day of solidarity, they repeated their demand that the Mexican administration of Felipe Calderón determine who is responsible for the explosion at Pasta de Conchos, a mine owned by Mexico Group, where around 65 workers lost their lives. Martin Esparza Flores, from SME, affirmed that “neoliberalism is the worst enemy of workers; it has detonated a crisis and wants that we workers pay for it.” Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, from SNTMMSSRM, spoke from Canada, where he lives in exile, and pointed out that “only acting in unison will unions be able to defeat the antiunion policies that afflict Mexican workers today.”



Duncan Brown, on behalf of UNI Americas, looked back on the demonstrations that took place throughout the world last year in protest against the abuses of the Mexican government, but these abuses have continued and aggravated. He spoke of the similarity among the problems that afflict U.S., Canadian and Mexican peoples, they are the same problems. As an illustration of what he had just said, he told the story of “María”, a single mother of two who works at Atento. She only wished a decent job and a better life for her children. When she tried to organize workers at the STRM, she learned that there was a ghost union. She was threatened and suffered violent attacks, not only from hoodlums hired by the company but also from union hoodlums. Then, when the time came to choose a trade union, she encountered more hoodlums and the police, which did not let her vote freely. To conclude, Brown pointed out that this is the time for change in Mexico, Canada and the United States, and emphasized his confidence in the tri-national alliance to pursue the struggle for men and women workers’ rights.