Mexican Labor Lawyer, Susana Prieto Denounced U.S. Pressure to Reopen Maquiladora Factories. Then She Was Jailed and Now Fears For Her Life! with Susana Prieto, Mexican Labor Lawyer, workers rights advocate and now political prisoner whose life and those of her attorneys is in jeopardy
Throughout the month of May, as the coronavirus pandemic was peaking in Mexico, Susana Prieto, a top Mexican labor attorney who has been defending workers' rights for over three decades, was making her voice heard. Susana Prieto a well-known advocate of workers rights has been arrested on accusations of inciting violence, threats and coercion of public officials - a move supporters denounced as retribution for advising wildcat strikers at US-owned factories. Her supports fear for her life and the lives of her attorneys in Tamaulipas and are asking for President Lpez Obrador to intervene on Prieto's behalf and withdraw the trumped up charges, and repeal NAFTA 2.0. And Building bridges calls upon all supporters of labor rights to join us in the fight to do so by contacting and .
Susana Prieto is a fiery speaker, who in her decades of worker advocacy has made many enemies by representing those fighting for higher salaries, better working conditions, and trying to organize independent unions at maquiladoras " largely foreign-owned factories that manufacture products for export. Prieto has also battled union bosses of company unions who have a history of putting company interests ahead of workers wages and benefits.
During an unprecedented wave of wildcat strikes in 2019, Prieto described fierce resistance from maquila owners [T]heyre fighting tooth and nail because these gringo bastards dont want to set a precedent, she told the Guardian. Those strikes spread to other businesses, and according to the citys maquila industry led to a slump in investment in Matamoros.
Prietos arrest comes as more maquilas reopen following lockdowns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. According to health officials, Mexico has not yet reached the peak of its outbreak and the number of Covid-19 deaths is still rising, but the country has come under intense pressure from the US to declare many manufacturing activities essential as they form part of continental supply chains and to hell with the health and safety of the workers.
produced by Ken Nash and Mimi Rosenberg
please notify us if you plan to broadcast this radio program -knash@igc.org
![<?php echo $config['site_title']; ?>](/static/images/rp-navimg.gif)
![Support the <?php echo $config['site_title']; ?>](/static/images/support.png)
