Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard asks the United States government to validate the Labor Chapter Agreement (USMCA) between Mexico, the United States, and Canada to guarantee that all Mexican workers in that country receive the vaccine against COVID-19 regardless of the immigration status.
"We are going to invoke the Free Trade Agreement to ensure that migrant workers are protected according to labor laws. Whether or not they are nationals, it is something that Mexico insisted on, and that''s how it was established, "said Ebrard Casaubón during the morning.
The Secretary of Foreign Relations reported that in chapters 23.3 and 23.8 of the USMCA, the vulnerability of migrant workers is recognized, and nations are obliged to ensure they are protected. Even though access to the vaccine is not a labor right, he pointed out that the workers should not be exposed to contagion.
The Foreign Minister said that any exclusion of Mexican workers is "a violation of the USMCA. We will initiate corresponding procedures and be on the lookout for the issue."
Ebrard also stressed that the Mexican government has the support of the workers'' unions and assured that they are prepared to ask the next administration headed by Joe Biden to comply with it.
Traducción: Valentina K. Yanes