The regulation of outsourcing (the subcontracting of workers or “terciarización”) is a well-worn topic in the Mexican world of work. The issue has now entered a decisive phase, however, as some five bills aiming to regulate – or even ban – outsourcing have been tabled before parliament in recent months. The most radical of them, put forward by senator and trade unionist Napoleón Gomez Urrutia (of the Morena party), provoked uproar on the part of Mexican employers by likening the practice of outsourcing to organised crime and calling for prison terms for directors of companies that resort to such measures. The government, for its part, is proposing the creation of a national register to check and monitor companies that engage in subcontracting of workers, a practice that according to some facilitates tax evasion and weakens the rights of employees.
In order to calm the debate, the Mexican Senate has convened an “open parliament” devoted to the subject, commencing on Wednesday 12 February. This consists of talks by experts as well as discussions with employer and trade union representatives, which are being organised to “listen to the arguments of all stakeholders in order to legislate peacefully”, explained Ricardo Monreal of the Morena party, president of the upper house.
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