The cross-company grievance system of the German automotive industry in Mexico was launched in May 2024 as a promising project. It was jointly launched by companies, civil society organisations, and trade unions participating in the Automotive Dialogue. The aim was to enable those affected by human rights violations in the supply chains of German car manufacturers to report actual and potential rights violations in Mexico and to receive support in investigating these violations and accessing remedies.

Although the development of the joint complaints system has demonstrably led to the dissemination of knowledge about rights and options for action, as well as the resolution of several conflict cases, the project has not been terminated prematurely. 

This publication reflects the perspective of the participating non-governmental organisations – ProDESC, Fundación Avina and the BHRC as well as Germanwatch, INKOTA and WEED – on the failure of the process. The main reasons are found to lie in declining political and corporate ambitions with regard to corporate responsibility in Europe, as well as significant weaknesses in the design of the mechanism. However, the instrument of cross-company complaint mechanisms itself continues to be regarded as an important lever for the implementation of human rights due diligence obligations and should be further developed, also in light of the lessons learned from this case.