Department of Labor January 12, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Trade Agreement Implementation (OTAI) gives notice that on January 6, 2006, U.S. Submission 2005-03 was accepted for review pursuant to Article 16(3) of the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC). The submission was filed with the OTAI on October 14, 2005, by The Progressive Union of Workers of the Textile Industry, the Manufacturing, Cutting and Confection of Fabric and Garments in General and Related and Similar Industries in the Mexican Republic, a member of the ``Vanguardia Obrera'' Workers Federation of the Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants (FTVO-CROC), with the support of the U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project and the Washington Office on Latin America. The submitters allege that the Government of Mexico has failed to fulfill its obligations under the NAALC to effectively enforce its labor laws in connection with freedom of association and the right to organize, the right to bargain collectively, the right to strike, prohibition of forced labor, labor protection for children and young persons, elimination of employment discrimination, prevention of occupational injuries and illnesses, compensation in cases of occupational injuries and illnesses, and minimum employment standards related to events at a textile plant operated by Rubie's de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V., in the municipality of Tepeji del Rio, State of Hidalgo, Mexico. Article 16(3) of the NAALC provides for the review of labor law matters in Canada and Mexico by the National Administrative Office (NAO), which was redesignated as the OTAI in a Federal Register Notice issued on December 23, 2004 (69 FR 77128 (2004)). The objectives of the review of the submission will be to gather information to assist the OTAI to better understand and publicly report on the Government of Mexico's compliance with the obligations set forth in the NAALC.