The AFL-CIO, in conjunction with Mexico’s National Workers Union, have filed a labor complaint against the Mexican government. Currently, Mexican unions and employers are able to negotiate contracts without any input from an organization’s workforce.The complaint asks that employees be allowed to freely elect representation of their choosing and be more involved in creating the contracts under which they are required to work. Due to current NAFTA renegotiations, all parties hope to have the issue resolved by March. The Canadian labour world continues their struggle to find hope and solidarity in the wake of Unifor’s decision to leave the Canadian Labour Congress. Click here for the update. 
As we reported last month, IG Metall, one of Germany’s strongest unions, was in the midst of negotiating an agreement that would allow workers to reduce their working week from 35 hours to 28 hours for up to two years in order to care for sick family members. They succeeded. Click here to dive into what this might mean for the larger labor movement as a whole. Lastly in international news, forced labor is still very much a reality. “About 25 million people globally were estimated to be trapped in forced labor in 2016, according to the International Labour Organization and rights group Walk Free Foundation.” This article gives details on how the Thai fishing industry plays a large role in contributing to that number.
