19 January, 2012Twenty trade unions and labour rights organisations have submitted a complaint against the Local Conciliation and Arbitration Board of the Federal District of Mexico.
MEXICO: On February 1, the Human Rights Commission of the Federal District of Mexico (CDHDF) will began consideration of a complaint submitted by 20 trade unions and labour rights organisations in Mexico City against the Local Conciliation and Arbitration Board of the Federal District (JLCADF).
The complaint was presented on January 10 and is being dealt with by Luis Jiménez Bueno, third chief investigator, who deals with labour issues.
Luis González Placencia, CDHDF president, maintains there are serious violations of labour rights throughout the Federal District. He said there is a need for a fresh analysis of international instruments on labour rights to support the work conducted by the country's local human rights commissions, which have just been given the added brief of labour rights.
"It is clear that work without rights is servitude, if not slavery. The protection of workers' rights is a mechanism to bring dignity to the act of working, which is something everybody does and is the basis on which all societies function", he said.
Luis González Placencia said the CDHDF will study the legal merits of the complaint, which will be investigated by the CDHDF Labour Rights Department. He added that the commission will keep the petitioners informed of progress in the case.
The president of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (Asociación Nacional de Abogados Democráticos), Manuel Fuentes Muñiz, explained that the complaint comprises 23 pages setting out the case against the JLCADF, a 44 page labour information bulletin and an analysis of 323 new conditions required of trade unions. He also explained that the rights alleged to have been infringed are: the right to form a trade union, the right to legal certainty; the right to legality; access to justice, legal status and non-discrimination.
Among the unions that signed the complaint are: Sindicato Único de Trabajadores de la Universidad de la Ciudad de México (university workers); Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de Lavanderías, Tintorerías y Hospitales (laundry, dry cleaning and hospital workers), Sindicato Nacional del Transporte de Pasajeros del Distrito Federal (public transport workers), Sindicato Único de Trabajadores del Instituto de Educación Media Superior del Distrito Federal (Institute for Higher Education workers), Frente Auténtico del Trabajo (Authentic Labour Front), Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de Elevadores (elevator workers) and Sindicato de Trabajadores de Casas Comerciales, Oficinas, Expendios, Similares y Conexos (shop and office workers).
The complaint is also backed by the Sindicato de Trabajadores del Instituto Nacional de Capacitación Agropecuaria (National Agricultural Training Institute workers), Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria Metálica, Acero, Hierro (metalworkers), Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria del Acero y Derivados (steel workers); Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Costura (sewing workers) and Sindicato Nacional de la Industria Textil (textile workers).
Organisations supporting the complaint are: Alianza de Tranviarios de México (tram workers), Asesoría Legal (Legal Advice), ANAD, Campaña contra los Contratos Colectivos de Protección Patronal (Campaign Against Protection Contracts), Centro de Acción y Reflexión Laboral (Centre for Labour Action and Debate), Centro de Investigación Laboral y Asesoría Sindical (Labour Research and Trade Union Advice Centre), the Confederación Regional Obrera (Regional Workers' Confederation), Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas (electricity industry workers), Sindicato de la Unión Nacional de IEMS, Sindicato de Telefonistas de la República Mexicana (telephone workers); Unión Nacional de Técnicos y Profesionistas Petroleros (oil industry technical and professional workers) and the Unión Nacional de Trabajadores (National Workers' Union).