US finds 'egregious' labor rights denials at Atento centers in Mexico (updated)

Atento SA

19/01/2024 20:50

(Adds details from statement)
       MEXICO CITY, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The government of the
United States has found evidence of "egregious" labor rights
violations at call centers belonging to Atento in Mexico's
central Hidalgo state, labor and trade officials said in a
statement on Friday.
        U.S. officials asked the Mexican government to conduct a
review, according to the statement.
  
        Atento, a Spanish firm that operates two Hidalgo call
centers offering customer service to BBVA bank customers, did
not immediately respond to a request to comment.
  
        The move follows a petition filed by a Mexican labor
union in December, alleging that Atento unlawfully terminated
workers for union organizing and engaged in actions that
interfered with union activities.
  
        "The U.S. government's investigation revealed egregious
employer conduct at the Hidalgo facility," the statement said,
pointing to what it described as retaliation for and
interference with union activities.
  
        Under the USMCA's trade treaty's rapid response
mechanism, Mexico's government now has ten days to decide
whether it will conduct a review, and 45 days to investigate the
claims and present findings, the statement added.
  

 (Reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez, Raul Cortes and Valentine
Hilaire; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by David Alire
Garcia)
 ((sarah.morland@thomsonreuters.com;))