Brussels, 21 September 2018 (ITUC OnLine): The decision by the Mexican Senate on 20 September to ratify ILO Convention 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining is a major victory for Mexican workers, following a sustained campaign by the national trade union centre UNT, the ITUC and its regional organisation for the Americas TUCA and Global Union Federations. Bringing Mexico's law into line with the Convention will mean that workers will no longer suffer from the decades-long use of so-called 'protection contracts' where bogus unions make corrupt agreements with employers on behalf of workers without their knowledge or consent.
Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary said "the system has been stacked against Mexican workers for many years, and now the rules are changing. We congratulate the Senate on this decision, and look forward to the government following through so that the rights of working people to freely organise unions and engage in collective bargaining are fully respected. This will lift wages, help improve safety and working conditions, and stimulate the economy."
Mexico is currently rated among the worst countries for workers in Category 5 of the ITUC Global Rights Index and implementing the Convention will allow it to improve its ranking.
The only other country in the Americas region which has not ratified the Convention is the USA. In Asia and the Middle East, Bahrain, Iran, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cook Islands, India, Korea, Laos, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Palau, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vietnam have yet to ratify it. All African and European countries have ratified it.
The ITUC represents 207 million members of 331 affiliates in 163 countries and territories.