WELCOME TO THE ARCHIVE (1994-2014) OF THE MAQUILA SOLIDARITY NETWORK. For current information on our ongoing work on the living wage, women's labour rights, freedom of association, corporate accountability and Bangladesh fire and safety, please visit our new website, launched in October, 2015: www.maquilasolidarity.org
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Based in the blue jean manufacturing centre of Tehuacan in the State of Puebla, the Human and Labour Rights Commission of the Tehuacan Valley (HLRCTV) started as an indigenous rights organization. When young indigenous men and women began to leave their small agricultural communities in the mountains to work in the Tehuacan Valley’s jean manufacturing plants, the Commission made the decision to accompany them and defend their rights at the workplace.
Martin Barrios, shown in jail in 2006
Undeterred by death threats, surveillance and assaults by police, and the two-week imprisonment of their president, Martin Barrios, on trumped up charges in 2006, in 2007 the Commission provided support and advice to hundreds of workers at the Vaqueros Navarra jean factory who were fired or pressured to sign resignation letters for the crime of wanting to be represented by an independent, democratic union, rather than one of the “official unions” supported by the employer and the Puebla state government.
With MSN’s assistance, the Commission mobilized national and international support for the workers’ struggle, gained extensive media coverage and convinced major US brands to intervene in the case.
On November 23, the union representation vote was held inside the factory. Workers had to go one-by-one to a table where, in addition to state labour authorities, representatives of the company and the official unions were present as they publicly stated which union they supported. Despite this blatantly undemocratic process, the majority voiced their vote for the independent September 19 Union, which is affiliated with Mexico’s Authentic Labour Front (FAT).
Vaqueros Navarra workers rally for a democratic union
Months of hard work by the Commission, the FAT and the dismissed workers built support for the independent union and prepared the workers to take the risk of voting with their conscience in spite of threats of firings and plant closure. As 2007 comes to an end the Commission, the FAT, MSN and other supporters are doing all we can to push for legal recognition of the new union, to convince factory management to accept and negotiate with the union, and to fight off any attempt by the company to close the factory.
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