CUSMA – the new trade deal between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico – will come into effect as Canada reconsiders its economic structure after the pandemic. But the United Steelworkers union says the deal is flawed.
RadioLabour’s Marc Belanger interviewed USW National Director Ken Neumann.
“The first flaw I’d look at is labour rights. We stand in solidarity with the Mexican independent trade unionists. While the CUSMA improves the prospects of free collective bargaining, the proof is in the enforcement.”
The USW has a long history with Napoleon Gomez, the General Secretary of Los Mineros, the mineworkers in Mexico, a powerful union in mining and steel. We have had a lot of exchanges with the union in Mexico.
Other flaws include the lack of a gender chapter and a failure to refer to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Neumann also discusses regulatory issues, health and safety, the lack of commitment to the Paris climate change accord and our union’s disappointment that the steel provisions were not extended to the aluminum sector.
“Our government needs to continue to push for a full and sustained commitment that the U.S. will never see steel and aluminum and other products from Canada as a threat to national security,” says Neumann.
Listen to the full interview: RadioLabour interview with USW National Director for Canada, Ken Neumann
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