TORONTO – An investigative panel appointed under the terms of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) has found that severe violations of human and labour rights occurred at the Canadian-owned Camino Rojo mine in Zacatecas, Mexico.
The panel, appointed under terms of CUSMA’s Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), released its findings after investigating a complaint made to the U.S. government by Mexico’s Los Mineros union, which was supported by the United Steelworkers union (USW).
The U.S. panel found that workers at the Camino Rojo mine, owned by Canadian corporation Orla Mining (which is being acquired by Equinox Gold), were pressured to disaffiliate from Los Mineros and join a pro-employer union. The panel also found that a contractor hired by Orla Mining created “a climate of fear among the workers at the mine.”
Canadian and Mexican media have reported that the contractor was allegedly associated with organized crime, had extensive access to the mine, disrupted union meetings with armed men, and issued death threats to union leaders, forcing them and their families into hiding.
In light of the CUSMA panel’s finding, the USW’s Canadian National Office is urging the Attorney General of Canada to consider criminal charges against Orla Mining.
“The reported attacks on Los Mineros members at the Camino Rojo mine are truly outrageous. These allegations are unconscionable, that a Canadian corporation is involved in violent union-busting in Mexico, allegedly with the backing of organized crime,” said Marty Warren, USW National Director.
“With a review of the CUSMA scheduled to begin soon, justice must be served to protect workers’ rights to unionize, free from coercion and threats,” Warren said.
Orla Mining issued a statement on May 4, regarding its compliance with the CUSMA panel’s findings. This included a statement of neutrality on unionization, training managers and workers on freedom of association, and recognition of the rights of the Mineros union at the mine.
While these statements are important, what is missing is reparation for the victims of organized crime and the company’s complicity, especially the Mineros union members who were forced into hiding, and who continue to receive threats, the USW says. Orla Mining and the Mexican government must guarantee the workers’ ability to safely return to their jobs and homes by eliminating the presence of organized crime from the mine and the adjacent community.
The findings of human and labour rights violations at the Camino Rojo mine resulted from a complaint filed with the U.S. government under CUSMA terms. A similar complaint concerning Orla Mining was filed by the USW with the Canadian government in November 2024, but it was not handled as expeditiously and did not result in an investigation, the USW notes.
Under the terms of CUSMA’s RRM, after the USW’s Canadian office submitted the complaint to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), the Canadian government had 40 days to accept and subsequently investigate the complaint, before determining whether to submit the complaint to the Mexican government.
However, ESDC took nearly 18 months for this initial stage, before forwarding the complaint on April 28, 2026. According to CUSMA’s RRM, the Mexican government has ten days to determine whether it will investigate the complaint. To date, it has not issued a response.
The USW is again urging ESDC to move the complaint to the next stage – an international panel.
“We demand that the Canadian government take seriously its responsibility to uphold labour and human rights under the CUSMA, particularly when Canadian corporations are involved. To be silent is to jeopardize Canada’s legitimacy as a defender of human and labour rights at home and abroad,” Warren said.
About the United Steelworkers union
The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.
Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions.
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