Mexico denies U.S. request to review labor concerns at Grupo Yazaki factory

Mexico said on Friday it has notified the United States that it will not carry out a requested review of labor rights concerns at Grupo Yazaki's auto components factory in Guanajuato.

The U.S. Trade Representative said on Aug. 7 it had asked Mexico to see whether workers "are being denied the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining" at the privately held company's facility, which makes electrical components for autos for Japan-based Yazaki Corp.

Mexico's labor ministry and Federal Center for Conciliation and Labor Registration "determined that there is no substantial evidence of employer interference or denial of rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining by the company," the labor and economy ministries said in a joint statement.

The rejection is one of the few times since the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement went into effect in 2020 that Mexico has deemed a case ineligible for review under the pact, which has tougher rules than its NAFTA predecessor.