> FINANCE > > The News > Mexico City, May 16 1996. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > MEXICAN, U.S., CANADIAN LABOR CHIEFS CONFER > > By TIMNA TANNERS > > The News Staff Reporter > > Labor secretaries from Mexico, Canada and the United States on Wednesday > held their third annual meeting for labor cooperation since the signing of > the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). > > Labor Secretary Javier Bonilla said NAFTA members are cooperating with labor > laws, reflected in the absence of labor disputes in the past year. His U.S. > counterpart, Robert Reich, agreed, saying labor cooperation has improved in > the past year. > > Five complaints through the side agreement on labor have surfaced in the > past three years, however, four from the United States to Mexico and one > from Mexico to the United States. The Labor Secretariat filed the most > recent complaint February 1995 against long distance telephone company > Sprint in the United States for suddenly closing a plant and prohibiting the > right of employees to organize and to free association, according to the > secretariat's Office of International Affairs. > > Canadian Labor Minister Alfonso Gagliano called the meetings an opportunity > for sharing information and recommendations to benefit each others' > counterparts. > > The nations share common goals of creating new job sources and improving > working conditions, Bonilla, Gagliano and U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich > agreed. > > "Open dialogue between production factors shows renewed value in human labor > and stimulates an atmosphere for creating jobs," Bonilla said. He praised > the Alliance for Economic Recovery for improving productivity, salaries and > competitiveness. > > The North American Labor Cooperation Agreement governs labor relations under > NAFTA between the three nations along with other side agreements. > > Bonilla called cooperation between workers and business leaders to increase > production and improve working conditions a prerequisite to successfully > face future challenges. > > "The representatives of the unions, business heads and the government have > increased their interest in dialogue and traditional labor topics that > enrich new perspectives," Bonilla said. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > [FINANCE]
