Warsaw, February 15, 2011

Honorable C. Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa

President of The United States of Mexico

c/o Ambassador Raphael Steger Cataño

Permanent Representative of Mexico in Poland

Labor rights in Mexico

Dear Mr President,

National Secretariat of Mine and Energy Worker’s Union is highly concerned about the

situation in Mexico. We not only join the Mexican people but also we call on the government of

Mexico to take actions in order to assert the freedom of association, as well as ensure other labor

rights.

It is now five years since 65 miners were killed in the February 19, 2006 explosion at the Grupo

México Pasta de Conchos coal mine. To this day, bereaved families await proper compensation

and recovery of the bodies for funeral.

This information has been spread around the world. Such a situation is unbelievable in the

nowadays world of justice. Those who are guilty of the diasaster must take the responsibility of

their deeds. Otherwise, the workers from the United States of Mexico would still feel insecure

and endangered. The longer the situation would last, the more people will suffer and the worse

position on the international stage Mexico would have. Beyond dispute is the fact, that actions

as well as lack of proper activities of the Mexican Government are harmful not only to every

single citizen, but also to the whole country.

We, National Secretariat of Mine and Energy Worker’s Union oppose to the persecution of

independent trade unions and violation of the workers’ rights.

We call and ask for action (after ICEM organisation) to:

1. Hold employer and government officials accountable for the Pasta de Conchos mine

explosion that killed 65 miners on February 19, 2006

2. Abolish systematic violations of workers’ freedom of association including employer

dominated “protection contracts and interference in union elections

3. End the use of force- by the state or private parties- to repress workers’ legitimate

demands for democratic unions, better wages and working conditions, and good health

and safety conditions

4. End the campaign of political persecution against the Mexican Miners’ and

Metalworkers’ Union (SNTMMSRM) and the Mexican Electrical Workers’ Union

(SME).

We express our hopes that the Global Days of Action on Workers’ Rights in Mexico will bring

the expected effects and the condition of labor rights in the United States of Mexico will

improve very soon.

Sincerely,

The President of National Secretariat of Mine

and Energy Worker’s Union

NSZZ Solidarność

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