The STPS defines labor agenda priorities

Young People Building the Future, the implementation of the Labor Reform, the salary policy, regulation of outsourcing and domestic workers are the pressing topics

THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) defined five priorities within the labor agenda, which include the continuation of the Young People Building the Future program, the implementation of the Labor Reform, the application of a new salary policy, the regulation of outsourcing and the rights of domestic workers

In the inauguration of the 54th edition of the International Congress of the Mexican Association for Human Resources (Amedirh), the head of the STPS, Luisa María Alcalde Luján, asked the companies and talent administrators to accompany the agency in these priority topics, among which the regulation of subcontracting was included for the first time.

These are the five topics of the official labor agenda, in detail:

1. Young People Building the Future. Continue making connections with grantees for the following year and focus efforts on rural areas so that no young person that requires to enter the program is left out.

2. Implementation of the Labor Reform. Alcalde Luján said that one of the challenges of the implementation of the Labor Reform will be the transition to the new justice system, a process that will take place in stages and will begin next year in 10 states of the Republic, with the creation of local Labor Courts and Conciliation Centers.

Another challenge for the implementation is guaranteeing union democracy through free, secret and direct voting through which the workers can choose the union they want to represent them in collective bargaining. Additionally, the modernization of the labor law includes the legitimization of collective agreements.

3. New salary policy. The increase of the minimum wage is now a reality and, therefore, the priority of the Department of Labor is to now apply a new remuneration policy.

“We spent more than 30 years with a policy of wage containment which led us to be one of the countries with the lowest minimum wage in the world; today, we need to rethink that policy and bet on a gradual, step-by-step but decisive recuperation; also achieved hand in hand with the private sector”, stated the Department of Labor.

4. Regulation of outsourcing. Luisa María Alcalde stated that bad

practices in the subcontracting model have led to the endangerment of employment and a lack of responsibility by employers in the employment relationship.

“Gradually ending with this figure when it falls within harmful terrain and also with under-registration in Social Security”, she stated.

5. Domestic workers. She explained that it is necessary to bet on the recognition of the labor rights of groups that have been neglected, in this case, that of domestic workers. “They, like other people, have families, schedules, specific tasks and they have been set apart for years, without even opening the possibility of their having Social Security coverage”, she added.

HR AND THE ACTIVE ROLE ON LEGITIMATION

The head of the STPS made a call to companies and heads of Human Resources to assume a more active role in the legitimation of collective bargaining agreements, a procedure that is included in the Labor Reform enacted on May 1.

“While this process has to be promoted by the general secretaries of the unions, companies and the heads of human resources also have a fundamental role in ensuring that this process (of legitimation) is carried out in a democratic, transparent and open manner; said Alcalde Luján.

The federal official highlighted the case of the Worker’s Union of the Cement, Lime, Asbestos, Plaster, Containers and Similar and Related Products of the Mexican Republic, an organization that has already legitimized its two collective agreements with Cemex. “We have other unions, with other companies, that have already started this process”, explained the federal official.

Note published in El Economista, in the Companies and Business section by Blanca Juárez and Gerardo Hernández