LatinNews Daily - 11 December 2023

* Mexico’s economy (SE) and labour (STPS) ministries have announced the successful conclusion of an investigation into alleged labour rights abuses at an automotive parts facility in San Luis Potosí state run by Chinese-owned firm Asiaway. According to a press release, the investigation found the existence of “certain actions which could have constituted labour rights violations”. However, the statement said Asiaway had resolved the issues by rehiring an employee who had been dismissed unjustifiably and inviting the STPS to train employees on their labour rights, among other actions. The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) had on 23 October asked Mexico to review whether workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining were being denied at the Asiaway plant, using the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)’s Rapid Response Labour Mechanism (RRLM). The SE also announced on 8 December that the US and Mexico were advancing in the dialogue to define a reparation plan in relation to a separate RRLM case, concerning alleged labour rights abuses at an automotive parts plant in Aguascalientes state run by Turkish-owned company Teklas.