The 6,498 employees of the General Motors site in Silao, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, were called on 1 and 2 February to vote for the union representatives that will take charge of negotiating their collective agreement. The vote comes after the United States last year observed numerous irregularities when it comes to the respect of trade union freedom. The vote, which was closely watched and scrutinised from both sides of the border, represented a test case in a country where trade unionism that is truly independent of political power is struggling to emerge, despite the 2019 labour reform that sought to foster trade union democracy.
After 41 hours of voting on four union proposals, the workers at the General Motors factory in Silao overwhelmingly opted for the independent automobile sector union SINTTIA (Sindicato independiente Nacional de Trabajadoras y Trabajadores de la Industria Automotriz) to represent them. Over 4,000 votes of the 5,478 that were cast – or over 78% – were in favour of the SINTTIA representing employees in negotiations over the new collective agreement that will commence shortly with company management.
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