From left to right: Julieta Mónica Morales, general secretary of the Mexican Workers’ Union League; Imelda Jiménez, Los Mineros union secretary for political affairs; Abelina Ramírez, general secretary of National Democratic Independent Union of Farm Workers (SINDJA); Rosario Moreno, general secretary of Independent National Union of Workers in Industries and Services (SNITIS). Credit: Solidarity Center/Ulises Vidal
The Solidarity Center and our allies in Mexico work to strengthen the organizing and bargaining capacity of unions and grassroots organizations and to empower workers, especially women, to stand up for their rights at work, at home and in their communities.
One of the biggest obstacles to freedom of association for workers in Mexico is the prevalence of “employer protection contracts,” which prevent creation of truly representative unions. Protection contracts, which comprise nearly all union contracts, are negotiated without the knowledge and/or consent of workers and are often in place in a factory before workers are hired.
Despite the obstacles, a handful of independent grassroots worker organizations has emerged. The Solidarity Center provides training and support for domestic workers, who formed the country’s first domestic worker union and gained unprecedented legal rights in Mexico’s constitution.
The Mexican domestic workers union, SINACTRAHO, last week launched a far-reaching campaign to ensure domestic workers across Mexico are covered by employment contracts. “Our goal is to have 10,000 workers sign a formal contract with their employers, in time for...
Dozens of day-labor farm workers (jornaleros) demanded improved wages, democratic representation, an end to sexual harassment and access to clean water as they marched across Mexico in a national caravan, “Fair Wages and Dignified Life.” The workers, who left Baja...
Whether building a towering office building in downtown Zimbabwe, sewing garments in a Bangladesh factory or digging for phosphate in Mexico mines, the world's unsung working people demonstrate, time and again, the dignity of work. Here, we celebrate some of the...
