Goodyear facing probe over labour practices in Mexico

Washington DC – The Mexican government has been asked to investigate alleged breaches of labour rights at Goodyear’s tire factory in San Luis Potosi, central Mexico.

The request was made 22 May by the labour committee of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), according to a statement by the US department of labour. 

This, it said, followed a petition alleging that the US-based tire maker was “obstructing workers’ freedom of association and right to collective bargaining.”

The Mexican workers’ union league filed a complaint 20 April, invoking USMCA’s “rapid response labour mechanism,” the statement noted.

According to the complainants, Goodyear had “refused to apply a sectoral agreement” covering terms & conditions of employment within the rubber industry in Mexico.

“Sufficient and credible evidence supporting the allegation enabled the committee to invoke the rapid response labour mechanism,” said the US department of labour, co-chair of the USMCA committee.

Under agreed procedures, Mexico’s government had 45 days to examine the claims and to present the findings of its investigation.

The USMCA mechanism allows the US to take enforcement action at individual factories in Mexico to ensure compliance with domestic labour laws.

In operation since 2017, the San Lui Potosi facility employs 1,100 people and has the capacity to manufacture 6 million units of passenger car tires per year.

In response to the USMCA move, Goodyear said its San Luis Potosi plant is “a state-of-the-art facility with strong employee satisfaction, competitive wages, and attrition of less than 1%.”

Goodyear said it would work closely with Mexican and US authorities to “protect our associates’ right to select their own representation, freely and fairly….”