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Mexican government tramples on bargaining rights of cabin crew
21 August 2008
 |  |  view larger image | | | Mexicana aircraft at Benito Juárez International Airport, Mexico City | |
The Mexican government has breached its own labour laws after cabin crew working for the Mexican national carrier were denied the right to collective bargaining.
Mexicana Airlines cabin crew, represented by the ITF-affiliated Asociación Sindical de Sobrecargos de Aviación (ASSA), were informed by the labour authorities that they could not review their collective bargaining agreement. The move follows a lawsuit by the airline against the workers, which argued that they should not be allowed to review their agreement as wages and benefits were the main reasons for the company’s lack of viability. The labour authority’s decision to back the company runs counter to Mexican labour law, which guarantees collective bargaining rights. It also breaches International Labour Organization Convention 98 on the right to collective bargaining, one of the eight core labour conventions.
Antonio Rodriguez Fritz, ITF Americas Regional Secretary, commented: "Once again the Mexican Labour Secretary is violating human and trade union rights to benefit the corporate sector. In theory, the labour authority is obliged to respect the law, not violate it and interpret it in a prejudicial way against workers’ rights. This attitude is an offence against the cabin crew, who play a key role as safety professionals, and their families. There could also be an impact on passengers if safety is compromised."
The ASSA will lodge an appeal against the labour authority’s decision.
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