Cooperation between workers is welcomed as
NAFTA here to stay says Mexican worker rep

stay and, as capital continues

to globalize itself, the labour
movement must also internationalize
itself as well, says a Mexican activist.
Hilda Ramirez, a Mexico City based
organizer with the Frente Autentico
del Trabajo (FAT), a 50,000 member
workers’ organization in Mexico, says
that unions must face this reality and
band together to defend the interests
of workers in all countries.

In an interview held late last year
with the Lumberworker, Ms. Ramirez
said that investment is expanding in
the Mexican maquiladoras and that
Mexican workers need assistance
from their other North American
counterparts.

The FAT is an independent organi-
zation consisting of independent
unions, workers’ cooperatives in agri-
culture and industry, and community
activists which has offices in 10
states. Unlike the “official” unions
controlled by the country’s ruling par-
ty (the PRD, FAT has fought for near-
ly 35 years to improve the life of
working people despite state repres-
sion and intimidation.

In Mexico, the vast majority of
workers are controlled by the
PRI dominated unions which belong
to the Congreso de Trabajadores de
Mexico (CTM). These are company
unions of convenience which control
workers rather than fight for their
rights. In the new age of NAFTA and
expanding foreign investment in Mexi-
¢o, principally by U.S. corporations,
workers are in dire need of help.

With this new reality, Ms. Ramirez
believes that workers in Canada and
the United States should understand
what is happening to workers in Mexi-
co.

The maquiladoras are not simply
confined to the U.S.- Mexico border
zone. They now stretch deep into the
heartland of Mexico and are in 19
states throughout the country.

Although very small in comparison
to the CTM, the FAT has been a pow-
erful and independent voice for work-
ers. Its greatest strength has been

he North American Free Trade
‘Agreement (NAFTA) is here to

Le

: i

BPN

¢ Living conditions for families of Mexican workers, contrast with maquila fac-
tory zones. Photo taken in Juarez, Mexico.

organizing workers in the textile and
metals industries also its independent
union membership include workers in
auto parts, shoemaking, rubber manu-
facture, farming and the fishing indus-
try. There are 15 independent
organizations within the FAT.

The economic colonialization of
Mexico is increasing at break neck
speed. There are now over 2000
maquilas in 19 states which link Baja
California to Yucatan.

Ramirez says that independent or-
ganizations such a FAT have much
work to do in building their basic in-
frastructure. Just getting transporta-
tion for organizers can be difficult.
The organization needs basic office
and communications equipment as
well.

Transnational corpo-
rations will further
exploit Mexican
workers ¢f they are
left on their own
without inter-
national support

To improve their lot, Mexican work-
ers need international assistance.

“Now we are suffering the results of
free trade,” says Ramirez. “If capital is
globalizing, why don’t we as unions
rethink our strategies on what we are
going to do? Why don’t we think
about globalizing ourselves?”

* Ms. Ramirez says that transnational
corporations will further exploit
workers if they realize that Mexican
workers are on their own without sup-
port from other union organizations.

She rejects any notion that Mexi-
cans are taking away jobs from the
United States or Canada. She says
that foreign capital is arriving in Mexi-
co to “exploit workers with salaries of

fesy Linda Hargreaves Trade Uni

misery.” She also says that workers in
Central America are forced to work
for even less than in Mexico.

“We (North American workers)
can’t wait with our arms crossed. We
have to definitely do something.”

On its own the FAT unions have ne-
gotiated some of the best standards in
Mexico and have struggled to educate
workers on their rights under often
unenforced laws. About 80% of its
union members are women.

Three of its affiliate unions, SNTI-
HA (National Union of Iron and Steel
Workers), STIHACS (Metal, Iron, and
Steel Connectors Workers Union) and
the STT “Belisario Dominguez” textile
workers union have been strongholds
for the FAT.

Last year in the city of Juarez the
FAT was supported by the United
Electrical Workers, from the United
States, in trying to organize a General
a Electric plant. Currently complaints

i§ by the UE and The Teamsters have

been layed before the National Ac-
counting Office in Washington D.C.,
which is a mechanism set up under a
labour side agreement under the NAF-
TA. The unions are charging that GE
has interfered with workers attempts
to organize.

“We confronted a tremendous appa-
ratus that was put in place against the
union,” say Ramirez. The company
bussed workers to the job site to keep
them.away from union organizers.

Ramirez says that the independent
unions are experiencing more prob-
lems with U.S. owned companies that
others, although there are problems in
organizing with all employers.

In addition the U.S. based transna-
tional Honeywell Corporation last
year fired 20 of 500 workers (80% of
whom are women) while a FAT affili-
ate was trying to organize in Chi-
huahua. The United Electrical
Workers from the U.S. once again
tried to help the FAT in improving the
lives of workers who are being paid
only $45.00 U.S. per week.

In the small city of Parras with a
population of 50,000, also in the state
of Chihuahua, an American corpora-
tion know as Sealed Power, has two
factories and is expanding to four.
The FAT will be attempting to orga-
nize the other two maquilas. In the
past 13 years, there have been many
gains made under FAT affiliate agree-
ments and there are concerns that
work may be transferred from orga-
nized plants to unorganized opera-
tions.

Ramirez says that foreign corpora-
tions are naturally bent on exploiting
cheap labour.

She points out that while industries
may pay their workers $12.00/hr. in
the U.S., they can come to Mexico and
pay workers as little as $4-5.00/day.

“Then how much money are they
saving,” she comments. “At the cost of
cheap labour?”

“We need more security,” she says.
“In the maquilas many people live in
houses of cardboard and wood with-
out water and electricity.”

There has even been more pressure
put on Mexican workers in the past
year. In 1994 the federal government
unveiled a new policy to increase pro-
ductivity in the country, The accord
was signed by the government, corpo-
rations, and unions, both CTM “offi-
cial” unions and the independent FAT
unions.

e Hilda Ramirez, organizer with the
FAT.

In many instances PRI unions are
filing documents with the government
without any input from workers, says
Ms. Ramirez.

While this is happening, she says,
the FAT affiliate unions are pushing a
worker agenda which calls for the ex-
amination of all factors affecting pro-
ductivity, including machinery, work
atmosphere, and raw materials, etc.

Ms. Ramirez believes that more in-
terchanges between North American
trade unionists from all countries are
necessary and that lines of communi-
cation must be opened up more and
maintained.

As for the NAFTA; it’s a done deal.

“We think that it was not the Cana-
dian, American or the Mexican people
who signed the deal,” comments
Ramirez. “It’s the governments of U.S,
Mexico and Canada that signed it.
Sometimes we (the Mexican people)
are very small. Sometimes in Canada
it’s the same, isn’t it?”

Ms. Ramirez was in British Colum-
bia as part of a solidarity tour spon-
sored by the Trade Union Group.

 Maquila factories offer “wages of misery” without job security.

12/LUMBERWORKER/MARCH, 1995

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