Announcement for Strengthening Workers’ Ability to Exercise their Labor Rights in Mexico

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor, announces the availability of approximately $10,000,000 total costs (subject to the availability of federal funds) for one cooperative agreement to fund a technical assistance project in Mexico to promote internationally recognized labor rights particularly by supporting implementation of the landmark labor law reform enacted in February 2017 and May 2019. The project would prioritize assisting workers in at least three of the following sectors: aerospace, mining, steel, aluminum, industrial bakeries, electronics, or call centers. The project objective is to improve workers’ realization of their rights under Mexican labor laws. The project will aim to achieve the following outcomes: 1) increase workers’ and relevant organizations’ knowledge of labor rights, particularly those under labor law reforms; 2) increase workers’ and their representatives’ effective use of labor rights provisions, particularly those under labor law reforms; and 3) generate sustained data-driven dialogue amongst relevant stakeholders to improve implementation of labor law reforms. The duration of the project will be a maximum of 4.5 years (54 months) from the effective date of the award. For purposes of this Funding Opportunity Announcement, internationally recognized labor rights refers to those rights as defined in Article 23.3 of the USMCA Labor Chapter, consisting of (a) freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; (b) the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor; (c) the effective abolition of child labor and, for the purposes of the USMCA, a prohibition on the worst forms of child labor; (d) the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation; and (e) acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health. The right to strike is linked to the right to freedom of association, which cannot be realized without protecting the right to strike: Gobierno de Mexico, Reforma Laboral, https://reformalaboral.stps.gob.mx/#normatividad.