New unions, with higher salary increases

Note published on March 27 in El Economista, Empresas [Companies] Section by María del Pilar Martínez.

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Organizations that emerged with the reform, for example, the SINTTIA, have been able to obtain above-average increases.

The union organizations that emerged with the 2019 labor reform have been able to improve workers’ labor benefits, as well as obtaining salary increases that are one or two percentage points above the national average of 7 percent.

Last Friday, the Independent Union of the Free and Democratic Workers of Saint Gobain Mexico voted on the first collective bargaining agreement that it reached an agreement on with the company, after a long negotiation process, and was endorsed by the workers with 87.7% of votes in favor. As part of the negotiation with the company, a direct increase to salary of 9% and of 2% in benefits were defined

“It is a new, reformed agreement; it was not easy at all to negotiate it with the company, but the results that we obtained were accepted, the votes are proof of this. It is something that we had never achieved in 20 years, we had not been able to obtain it and we are now seeing the difference between a fully democratic union and a “charro” [protection] union ”, Guzmán, general secretary of the Union, pointed out.

Oscar de la Vega, legal representative of the Saint Gobain company, stated that “these are the new processes of union democracy with an independent union, in which the clauses of democracy transfer the power of decision to the workers, and the union becomes merely an intermediary within the collective bargaining negotiation processes.”

He also said that companies and unions must strengthen their channels of direct communication with the workers.

He pointed out that the democratic processes “will also require that companies are consistent with their financial situation and the salary conditions granted to the workers.”

Another emblematic case is that of General Motors. The  Independent Union of Automotive Industry Workers (SINTTIA) achieved an agreement for a direct salary increase of 10%.

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