Unifor takes call for improved labour rights to Torex Gold
TORONTO, Dec. 1, 2017 /CNW/ - Unifor took the call for improved labour rights to Torex Gold Resources as hundreds of delegates at the union's Ontario Regional Council protested the recent murders of strikers near a Torex-owned mine in Mexico.
"Mexican labour standards are deplorable and it's just as deplorable that Canadian companies, such as Torex, are willing to profit from an unjust system that would never be acceptable here," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.
The protest took place a day after Dias met face-to-face with Torex President and CEO Fred Stanford to discuss an ongoing strike by 600 workers at the Media Luna mine in Guerrero state Mexico.
Unifor's Ontario Regional Director, Naureen Rizvi also spoke to the crowd that gathered in front of the Torex headquarters in downtown Toronto. Rizvi said "No worker should have to face violence or death for exercising what is a basic and fundamental right to join a union. That's outrageous, it's shameful and we won't have it. Our union extends its international solidarity to the workers in Mexico."
On November 18, 2017 two striking mine workers were shot to death at a roadblock preventing access to the mine. Dias, who was in Mexico at the time of the murders, visited the picket line to pay tribute to the workers and demand that stronger labour protections be included in negotiations for a new NAFTA.
"International corporations are happy to take advantage of a system that is built to exploit workers," said Dias. "Trade agreements like NAFTA allow big business to side-step responsibility and hide behind the fact that companies are simply following the rules. We are here today to let Torex and other multinationals know that isn't good enough."
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
SOURCE Unifor
please contact Unifor Communications Representative Kathleen O'Keefe at [email protected] or 416-896-3303 (cell).
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