5 October, 2022Through a vote, the Independent Union of Free and Democratic Workers of Saint-Gobain Mexico has won the right to represent workers at the group’s Cuautla factory.
On 28 and 29 September, a ballot was held at the factory in Cuautla, where 957 workers voted for the Independent Union of Free and Democratic Workers of Saint-Gobain Mexico. 587 voted for the Glass Workers Union, affiliated with the former Confederation of Workers and Peasants (CTC).
Another ballot was held in July on the collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the CTC union. Workers voted against the agreement, saying it had been negotiated behind their backs.
In the months leading up to the second ballot, employees say they have been harassed and bullied by the CTC union, being told they could lose the benefits set out in collective agreement if they voted for the independent union.
"The steps so far have not been easy: our union has been the subject of slander, defamation and misinformation by the other union. But we haven’t let ourselves get pulled into their game. We are here to represent our workers democratically – we won’t negotiate behind their backs and won’t mismanage our union,”
said Joaquín Guzmán, general secretary of the Independent Union of Free and Democratic Workers of Saint-Gobain Mexico.
IndustriALL deputy regional secretary, Cristian Alejandro Valerio, said:
"We welcome this great victory for Saint-Gobain workers. Mexican workers need to keep winning in their fight against employer protection contracts to succeed in eradicating a practice that has been harmful to workers' rights in Mexico. They will also succeed in ensuring genuine union representation for employees in all workplaces."