1 February, 2022Today and tomorrow, around 7,000 workers at General Motors' Silao plant in Mexico will elect new union representatives, who will then negotiate a fresh collective bargaining agreement with the company.
In August 2021, in a vote required as part of Mexico's labour reform process, workers rejected the collective agreement signed by the old Miguel Trujillo López union, affiliated to the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), accusing that union of siding with GM and putting the company's interests before those of its workers.
After workers voted against the old agreement, elections will now be held to choose a new union.
US union federation AFL-CIO, has urged GM and Mexico's labour authority to ensure a fair and free election process, during and after the ballot itself, as required under the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) and Mexico's labour reform.
The regional network of GM workers, made up of members of IndustriALL Global Union affiliates across the Americas, says that all workers are entitled to be represented by a democratically elected union and to a free and fair collective bargaining process.
To ensure that the voting process is transparent, the Mexican and US governments have agreed that observers from the International Labour Organization (ILO), Mexico's National Electoral Institute (INE) and National Human Rights Committee will be present.
As agreed with the Federal Centre for Conciliation and Labour Registration, four unions will stand for election.
One of these is the national union of automotive workers (SINTTIA), supported by the regional network of GM workers and created by active, independent GM employees who voted against the previous agreement.
The three other unions are linked to the CTM. They are the national union of workers and employees of the auto transport, construction, automotive, auto parts and similar industries; the national union of workers of the automotive and metal industries; and the "Carrillo Puerto" national union of industry, trade and services.