The Mexican government has 10 days to decide whether to conduct a review and 45 days to investigate the claims and present its conclusions.
The Department of Labor and the U.S. Trade Representative's office demanded Mexico investigate Volkswagen de Mexico, the country's largest automobile facility, because workers at the automaker's plant were denied labor rights. German in the state of Puebla.
The request follows a petition filed on April 25, 2024 by 10 laid-off workers who allege that Volkswagen Mexico violated the freedom of association and collective bargaining rights of workers at the plant.
Under the USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism, the petition claims the unjustified dismissal of 10 members of the outgoing steering committee of the Independent Union of Workers of the Automotive, Similar and Related Industries Volkswagen of Mexico — or Independent Union of Automotive Industry Workers , Similar and Related Volkswagen of Mexico — after a recent union election.
“We are deeply concerned by the alleged violations of freedom of association against 10 union members at the Volkswagen plant in Puebla, given their historically important role in Mexico's economy and the country's independent union movement. Retaliating against workers for their union activities violates the basic and fundamental rights of workers protected by the USMCA,” said Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Thea Lee.
Additionally, he highlighted that to date, “the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism has directly benefited almost 30,000 workers and their families, and we look forward to working with the government of Mexico to address the problems at this facility.”
The Mexican government has 10 days to decide whether to conduct a review and 45 days to investigate the claims and present its conclusions.
The Volkswagen Mexico plant in Puebla employs around 6,100 assembly line workers, and about five thousand supervisory or trusted employees and thousands of parts assembly workers.
The facility manufactures 2,300 vehicles per day made up of six different models. In 2023, the company exported more than 300,000 of these vehicles, including 67% for sale in the United States.
