Marath Bolaños, just ratified by Claudia Sheinbaum as Secretary of Labor, will face important challenges in his position during the next six-year term, among which the review of the USMCA in labor matters in 2026 stands out.
Oscar de la Vega, Managing Partner of the De la Vega & Martínez Rojas Firm, explained that “the USMCA has opened another significant front in labor matters with the rapid response mechanisms, which are becoming increasingly frequent, and in some cases their use is abused in order to obtain economic benefits foreign to the original intention of these mechanisms.”
He explained that the participation of the United States government in monitoring compliance with the guarantees and rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining will continue and the review of the USMCA in 2026 will very likely be another significant challenge that Sheinbaum’s administration will have to face.
“The business sector is pleased to welcome the continuity of Bolaños and his team, who have worked intensely in the implementation of the labor reforms”, said De la Vega.
The specialist added that people that are specialized in these topics in labor matters and in the implementation of the reforms are required to continue with their responsibilities, so that they participate in these complex collective bargaining and freedom of association processes that Mexico is facing.
The labor lawyer said that a significant change has taken place in labor matters over the last five years, “in a very short time, particularly in union and collective bargaining matters.”
“The implementation of the labor reform continues and the clauses on union democracy will necessarily continue generating challenges for Secretary Marath Bolaños; creative collective bargaining negotiation strategies will need to be implemented in the integral collective bargaining contract review processes in order to maintain a balance among production factors”, he emphasized.
