- Title: Sharp differences over labor surface at NAFTA talks in Mexico
- Date: 4th September 2017
- Summary: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (SEPTEMBER 3, 2017) (REUTERS) FLAGS OF THE U.S., MEXICO AND CANADA AT THE EXTERIOR OF THE HOTEL WHERE THE SECOND ROUND OF NAFTA RENEGOTIATIONS ARE TAKING PLACE HOTEL EXTERIOR GENERAL VIEW OF LOBBY WITH JOURNALISTS BANNER IN HOTEL LOBBY READING, "NAFTA: REGISTRATION" SCRIPT READING, "SECOND ROUND OF NEGOTIATION FOR THE MODERNIZATION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT - 1 TO 5 SEPTEMBER 2017 - MEXICO CITY" GENERAL VIEW OF LOBBY WITH JOURNALISTS JOURNALISTS WALKING THOUGH HOTEL LOBBY JOURNALISTS SPEAKING WITH THE PRESIDENT OF CANADIAN UNION, UNIFOR, JERRY DIAS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT OF CANADIAN UNION, UNIFOR, JERRY DIAS, SAYING: "And it doesn't make sense to have trade deals with nations, who have very poor labor standards - lower the standards of living for workers in all three countries. So, the question has to be: how do we fix this, how do we make it equal, how do we give Mexican workers, Canadian workers and U.S workers good paying jobs, elevate the standards of living for workers in all three countries. And, if labor standards aren't a part of a trade deal, then there shouldn't be a trade deal." PRESIDENT OF THE MEXICAN NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL COUNCIL, BOSCO DE LA VEGA, SPEAKING WITH JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PRESIDENT OF THE MEXICAN NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL COUNCIL, BOSCO DE LA VEGA, SAYING: "Each country should respect its labor issues, that's what Mexico is proposing. Mexico can't get involved in the labor issues of the United States or Canada, we ask that others don't get involved in our issues. Mexico will be competitive, it's respecting its workers, we want just salaries, (which is) what we're proposing." JOURNALISTS IN HOTEL LOBBY (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PRESIDENT OF INDEX, THE MEXICAN NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE TEXTILE AND MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY, FEDERICO SERRANO, SAYING: "We in the manufacturing industry, we have a life and career plan and a scale system of salaries where deriving from capacity, training and certifications, people have been credited with remuneration that is getting bigger and better."
- Embargoed: 18th September 2017 17:49
- Keywords: Mexico United States Canada NAFTA renegotiations trade agreement labor dispute
- Location: CIUDAD JUAREZ, CHIHUAHUA, SAN JOSE CHIAPA, PUEBLA, AND MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
- City: CIUDAD JUAREZ, CHIHUAHUA, SAN JOSE CHIAPA, PUEBLA, AND MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: Government/Politics,International Trade
- Reuters ID: LVA0016X6LW77
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Tensions over sharp differences in pay between Mexican workers and their Canadian and U.S. counterparts surfaced on Sunday (September 3) as negotiators discussed labor market rules in talks to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Canada's biggest private-sector union said NAFTA should be scrapped if Mexico cannot agree to better labor standards, clashing with Mexican business leaders who argued that workers’ rights were a matter for each country to resolve internally.
Mexican political and corporate leaders firmly resist demands to bring wages into line with U.S. and Canadian levels, arguing the big cost advantage the country enjoys over richer peers should decrease as economic development advances.
Labour union leaders in the two wealthier nations say laxer labor standards and lower pay in Mexico have swelled corporate profits at the expense of Canadian and U.S. workers, making resolution of the issue a major battleground of the NAFTA talks. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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