ITGLF warns Mexico to honor garment industry labor rights
09 Jan '06
2 min read
The Governor of the Mexican State of Puebla, one of the country's main garment producing regions, has been asked to secure the release of unjustly detained labour rights' activist Martín Barrios.
Martín Barrios, President of the Human and Trade Union Rights' Commission of Tehuacán, was arrested on 29 December after charges of blackmail were brought against him by Lucio Gil Zarate, a maquila employer who has come under intense pressure from the labour activist to uphold the rights of his workers.
In a letter to Puebla State Governor Mario Marín Torres, the Brussels-based International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation warned that in the climate of intense international competition that exists in today's garment industry, Mexico can not afford to be seen as a country which ignores international labour standards.
Said The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) General Secretary Neil Kearney: “Instead of throwing Martín Barrios in jail, the authorities should applaud him for his work in upholding the rights of downtrodden maquila workers.
“In recent months, the Committee presided by Martín Barrios had been assisting the workers of Calidad de Confecciones in defending their rights, including lodging a complaint with the Conciliation and Arbitration Commission.
“An agreement aimed at resolving the problems at the workplace was reached in November, but the employer failed to respect theagreement and two weeks later unfairly fired the 163 workers who had presented the complaint."
marketing@alchempro.com
