Leaders of a grass roots movement to win the right to be represented by an
independent union have been fired and supporters are being harassed and
pressured to 'voluntarily' resign. Some workers have refused to give in to
management intimidation and are continuing to press for legal recognition
of their right to be represented by the union of their choice. Workers are
being dismissed on a daily basis under the pretext that there is a
shortage of work.

Vaqueros Navarra is owned by Grupo Navarra, one of the largest and most
powerful garment consortiums in the state of Puebla, central Mexico.

On July 10, with the support of the majority of the workers at a worker
assembly, the September 19 Union, which is affiliated with the Authentic
Labour Front (FAT), filed a petition with the Local Conciliation and
Arbitration Board (JLCA) for title to the collective agreement. An
'official union', affiliated with the FROC-CROC, that was imposed on the
workers without their consent, currently holds the title to the collective
bargaining agreement at the factory.

The workers desperately need your support to pressure the local
authorities to act without further delay to ensure that:

· The company immediately ceases all harassment and intimidation of
workers to discourage them from supporting the independent union;
· The local labour authorities facilitate a solution to the conflict by
ordering a free and fair and transparent union representation vote
(recuento) by secret ballot and in the facilities of the Tehuacan
Concilitation and Arbitration Board (la Junta Especial de Conciliacion y
Arbitraje de Tehuacan); and
· All the unjustly fired workers are immediately reinstated.

Since the State of Puebla is governed by the PRI, which also controls the
local conciliation and arbitration boards and is the party to which the
FROC-CROC is affiliated, considerable pressure will be needed on the local
authorities to convince them that a recuento be held without delay and by
secret ballot vote in the Tehuacan Junta office.

In Mexico, and particularly in states governed by the PRI, bureaucratic
delays are commonly used to defeat workers? attempts to form independent
unions, and recuentos are usually held in the workplace where workers are
required to voice their vote in front of representatives of management and
the official union. Workers who vote the wrong way are usually fired
shortly after the vote.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Take Action Today
--------------------------------------------------------------
Please join MSN in calling on the Puebla state labour authorities to order
the immediate reinstatement of workers fired for organizing an independent
union and to hold a free and fair and transparent recuento by secret
ballot at the earliest opportunity.

Write a letter today to the Governor of the State of Puebla, with copies
to the President of the Local Conciliation and Arbitration Board, and the
Minister of Labour of the State of Puebla. See e-mail addresses and sample
letter below.

If possible, please send letters as attachments on your organizational
letterhead. Also cc MSN so that we can pass on copies of all letters to
groups in Puebla (lyanz@maquilasolidarity.org)

Thank you in advance for your solidarity.

Lynda Yanz, Coordinator
Maquila Solidarity Network

SAMPLE LETTER

Date:

Mario Marín Torres
Gobernador Constitucional del Estado de Puebla
Casa Aguayo, 14 Ote. #1204, Barrio El Alto
Puebla, Pue. C. P. 72000 -- Mexico
Email: gobernador@puebla.gob.mx

Dear Governor Marín:

On behalf of the?., I am writing to urge your government to take immediate
steps to ensure that the workers at the Vaqueros Navarra factory in
Tehuacan, Puebla have the right to be represented by the union of their
choice without employer interference.

We have received disturbing reports that management at Vaqueros Navarra
has fired at least 30 workers for the crime of exercising their
fundamental human right to organize for the purposes of bargaining
collectively with their employer.

We would therefore strongly urge you to act without further delay to
ensure that the workers who have filed a petition concerning their unjust
and illegal firing be immediately reinstated with full back pay.

We would also urge you to respond in a timely manner to the workers?
petition to be represented by the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la
Industria de la Costura, Confección, Similares y Conexos Diecinueve de
Septiembre by holding a free and fair recuento by secret ballot and in the
facilities of the Junta Local de Conciliación y Arbitraje de Tehuacan.

Our organization and others around the world will be monitoring the
situation closely to ensure that the recuento is held at the earliest
opportunity and in a free and fair and transparent manner in which the
internationally recognized right of workers to be represented by the union
of their free choice without employer or government interference is fully
respected.

Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this important matter.
We look forward to receiving information on the actions the Puebla labour
authorities are taking to ensure that these workers' associational rights
are respected.

Yours

Copies to:
José Antonio López Malo Capellini
Secretario del Trabajo y Competitividad del Estado de Puebla
E-mail: antonio.lopezmalo@puebla.gob.mx

Jorge Ramos Lobato
Presidente de la Junta Local de Conciliación y Arbitraje del Estado de
Puebla
E-mail: jorge.ramos@puebla.gob.mx

From: Maquila Solidarity Network (Canada)
August 2, 2007