Bensusán 2007

Bensusán “Trade Unionism in Mexico:  Current Situation and Obstacles to Renewal”

in Phelan, Craig. 2007. Trade union revitalisation: trends and prospects in 34 countries. Oxford: Peter Lang. 

• “Transparent decision making, internal democracy, and accountability do not characterise union life in Mexico.  Thus any genuine revitalisation of trade unionism depends on the ability to foster greater democracy and create new resources and strategies to gain power and pressure for change in the current development model, which is based primarily on low wages” (76)
• Unions realize the need for greater autonomy, but this autonomy isn’t often coupled with greater democracy (80)
• Relying on existing power resources propped up leaders, as long as leaders didn’t protest employers and government
• This, however, became even more tenuous after two pro-business governments
• Formation of the Front for Unity and Union Autonomy
• included CROM, UNT, FSM (Leftist) and SNTE
• formed as a result of the arbitrary firing of Urrutia, head of Mineros
• In the 1990s, most PRI unions stuck by the government, to the detriment of workers
• in some cases, old corporatist unions (STRM) was able to bargain good things for workers
• UNT, formed in late 1990s, distanced itself from PRI
• to improve its position, UNT began seeking extra-parliamentary allies
• PRD
• others
• but also worked pragmatically with Fox
• had their own labor reform proposal
• SNTSS and SME more fervently pro-PRD
• SNTE and PANAL
• strong, but not coherent
• personal vehicle, not always supporting interests of workers
• Unions are gaining more autonomy, but only because government is less and less interested in granting unions anything, focusing solely on employer desires
• but if labor laws continue to give the state and employers the right to impose their authority on worker organisation, then the world of work would be immune to meaningful democracy for a long time to come (Bensusán 2000 and 2003)