Mexico: General Motors ordered to repeat worker vote after the discovery of irregularities and intimidation
“Under US pressure, Mexico orders GM to repeat worker vote”, 12 May 2021
...Mexican authorities have ordered the General Motors (GM) Co union in the city of Silao to repeat a worker vote following pressure from US legislators...Mexico’s labour ministry said on Tuesday it found “serious irregularities” in last month’s vote...Such votes are part of Mexico’s broader effort to uphold worker rights as part of a new free trade pact that replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA...In the GM case, some ballots were destroyed during the union-led vote...It also said the union, which is part of the powerful Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), refused to give labour inspectors documentation of the vote tally...The legislators also cited news reports indicating that GM officials had removed independent inspectors, among other intimidation tactics aimed at staff. GM has denied any wrongdoing and said government-approved inspectors were not prevented from entering the voting site. It also said it condemned labour rights violations and had hired a third-party firm to review the matter...The disputed vote at Silao, which employs some 6,000 people, came several days before GM said it would invest $1bn in an electric vehicle manufacturing complex in Mexico, triggering criticism from the United Auto Workers...In addition, Geneva-based Industrial Global Unions and Toronto-based Unifor said in letters to GM President Mark Reuss last week that the incident appeared to violate the USMCA and urged GM to protect workers...