The United Steelworkers (USW) and the National Union of Mine, Metal, Steel and Allied Workers of the Mexican Republic (Los Mineros) today filed a complaint accusing Mexican
mining conglomerate Grupo
Mexico and its
US subsidiary, Asarco, of violating workers' rights on both sides of the border.
The complaint, filed with the
US National Contact Point (NCP) for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises, asks the NCP to attempt to foster a dialogue between the parties.
While the specific contents of the complaint are confidential, the USW has accused Tucson, Arizona-based Asarco of multiple unfair labor practices in the United States, including threatening workers, unlawfully implementing changes in workplace conditions, and failing to negotiate with the unions at the company's five
US facilities. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has scheduled a hearing on the complaints for March 15.
More than 2,000 workers represented by eight international unions have continued to work at Asarco's copper mines and processing facilities under the terms and conditions of a labor agreement that originally expired in June 2013 but was extended until the parties terminated it in June 2015.
"Asarco has used intimidation, manipulation and discrimination to interfere with workers attempting to exercise their rights," said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. "Companies like Grupo
Mexico, and other multinational conglomerates that attempt to silence workers, are precisely the reason why international solidarity among labor unions is so important."