The US asks to investigate labor rights at the Grupo México mine

The US petition follows a complaint from a Mexican union, Los Mineros, along with two major labor organizations from the neighboring country, the AFL-CIO and the United Steelworkers.

The groups alleged that Grupo México GMEXICOB.MX resumed operations at its San Martín lead-zinc-copper mine in the central state of Zacatecas even while there was a strike.

They also said the company negotiated with a group of employees who did not have the right to formally represent the mine’s workforce.

Grupo México did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Respect for a union’s status as exclusive collective bargaining representative and its right to strike are critical components of Mexico’s labor reform,” Thea Lee, assistant assistant secretary for international affairs at the Labor Department, said in a statement.

The Mexican law aimed at improving working conditions underpins the 2020 trade pact between Canada, the United States and Mexico, TMEC, which has paved the way for new unions to win better wages and benefits.

The US government also filed a complaint in Mexico on Monday for alleged rights abuses at a garment plant in the state of Aguascalientes owned by Industrias del Interior (INISA).