Metso removes restrictions on union membership at their factory in Mexico

In December 2012 Finnwatch issued a report focusing on Finnish companies operating in Mexico. The companies breaching employees’ rights were Huhtamäki, Kone, Luvata and Metso. The PKC Group had already earlier been exposed for similar unjust behaviour. The report was part of a Finnwatch programme that is supported by the trade unions JHL, Pro and Team, among other sponsors.

The change at Metso is in line with Mexico's labour law reform, but goes even further than the law requires. According to Finnwatch the new law no longer permits an employer to end an employee’s employment contract, just because his/her labour union membership has been revoked or he/she has terminated their membership.

However, the law still allows employers to set membership of a labour union, usually one chosen by the employer, as a condition for the commencement of employment. Many companies have entered into collective agreements with the so called protective unions they choose themselves regardless of what union actually does represent the employees.

Both clauses that limit freedom of association have been removed from Metso’s new collective agreement.

"Metso’s proactive approach to permit freedom of association will act as a positive example to other Finnish companies that operate in Mexico," says Sonja Vartiala, Executive Director at Finnwatch. Huhtamäki has also announced that it will remove the exclusion clauses from its collective agreements.

However, the regulations concerning protection unions remain unchanged in Mexico. Companies are still allowed to sign collective agreements with selected protection unions that do not represent the employees.

According to the Finnwatch report, protection contracts were also in use at the Kone, Huhtamäki, Luvata Monterrey, Nokia and PKC Group factories.

Heikki Jokinen