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Hernández Juárez, 62, is a Mexican trade union leader from the Sindicato de Telefonistas de la República Mexicana (STRM) and a member of the Mexican Congress.

“Francisco has been a trailblazing force for democratic unions and organizing in Mexico and a committed leader in the global fight for union representation and collective bargaining rights,” said head of UNI ICTS Marcus Courtney. “This is an exciting time for our newly formed ICTS sector and Francisco will be a great leader for our unions.”

An electrical engineer by training, Hernández Juárez started working at Teléfonos de México at age 16. He was first elected General Secretary of the STRM in 1976 as part of a campaign to democritise the union.

In 1987 he was elected president of Mexico’s Congreso del Trabajo as part of a union coalition fighting to transform the organisation and make it more independent from the government, the PRI political party and corporate bosses. In 1990, these unions fromed the Federación de Sindicatos de Empresas de Bienes y Servicios (FESEBS) with Hernández Juárez as founding General Secretary.

In 1992, Hernández Juárez formed an Alliance with US and Canadian telecommunications unions the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP). In 1997, after renouncing the Congreso del Trabajo, he helped form the Unión Nacional de Trabajadores (UNT) and has held the title of President since the founding.

The UNT is the leader of the independent and democratic union movement in Mexico.

Hernández Juárez was elected president of UNI America Telecom in 2003. He is a member of UNI’s World Executive Board and a Vice President of UNI Telecom’s Global Committee.

He continues to hold the title of STRM General Secretary as well as holding his seat as a member of the Mexican Congress in the Chamber of Deputies.