<nettime> For the Peaceful Reinstatement of Raquel Espinoza, Computer Operator

[TONGOLELE@aol.com]

For the Peaceful Reinstatement of Raquel Espinoza, Computer Operator at the 
Pung Kook Maquiladora en La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico

    Raquel Espinoza has been a maquiladora worker  since 1974. Since August 
3, 1998, she has been an employee at Pung Kook of Mexico, S.A. de C.V. 
working as a computer operator at a maquiladora that provides services for 
such international firms as Adidas, Lands End, Patagonia and Danna. Her 
workday runs from 7:30am to 5:30pm, Monday through Friday and 7:30am to 
1:00pm on Saturdays. She was unjustly fired on June 11, 2001. At the time of 
her firing her salary was 50 pesos/day ($5.45 US), which is two pesos less 
than the minimum professional wage at that time.
    On June 25, 2001, Raquel was obligated to bring her case to the Local 
Conciliation and Arbitration Board based in La Paz. Before the Workers' 
Defense Tribunal she denounced the company for unjustly firing her and 
demanded her reinstatement. 
    On April 29, 2002, at 8:50am, Raquel was notified of decision of the 
Local Concilation and Arbitration Board dated March first, 2002, in which the 
following resolution which was unanimously supported by the Board members 
stated that:

FIRST: C. Raquel Espinoza, authentically verified the actions that were 
described in her first petition.
SECOND: The company known as Pung Kook of Mexico, S.A. of C.V., did not 
verify the exceptions and statement made in their defense, which they 
counterpoised in their responded to the petition.
THIRD: The Pung Kok of Mexico, S.A. de C.V. company is thus ordered to 
reinstate the worker C. Raquel Espinoza to the job that she carried out with 
the same terms and conditions,  in conformity with this decision. In 
addition, The Pung Kook of Mexico S.A. of C.V. Company must retroactively pay 
the worker C. Raquel Espinoza the salary she has lost, starting from the 12th 
of June, 2001 up to the date of the full completion of this decision, based 
on 54.40 pesos per day as salary.
FOURTH: The Pung Kook of Mexico, S.A. of C.V. company is conceded the period 
of 72 hours, counted from the time of the notification of this resolution, 
for the fulfillment of the third point of this decision, in conformity with 
article 945 of Mexican Federal Labor Law.

    On May 2, 2002, 72 hours had passed which by law was the limit for the 
company to comply with the resolution of the Arbitration Board. Being that 
the company did not comply within the time period set out by article 945, 
Raquel's defense presented a document to the Arbitration Board so that it 
would set a date and time for the reinstatement and back pay due. This should 
happen within the course of 15 days of the 2nd of May.
    
    Weeks before the issuance of the resolution by the Arbitration Board, on 
the 1st and 2nd of May, the Mexican representative of the maquiladora, named 
Jesus Guerrero Alvarez, ordered the directors of the phantom union formed by 
the company and certain trusted workers, to generate a climate of violence 
and threats against Raquel Espinoza and Tito Piñeda, advisor to the 
independent Union of Workers of the Maquiladora Industry of Baja California 
Sur. They argued that if Raquel were reinstated the company would close, and 
that if Raquel went back to the maquiladora she would be taking the place of 
the directors of the phantom union. 
    Raquel has denied this publicly and before the labor authorities and the 
governor of the state, explaining that what has been said by the Mexican 
representative of the company is false, and that the only thing that he seeks 
is to impede her reinstatement and provoke division and confrontation among 
the workers. The Mexican representative of the maquiladora should understand 
that what the Arbitration Board has done in this case is to apply labor 
justice in keeping with the Federal Labor Law. 
    In keeping with the information above, the following organizations in 
Mexico, the United States and Canada request:

TO THE COMPANY: that its Mexican representative stop fomenting division among 
the workers and permit the peaceful reinstatement of Raquel.
TO THE LABOR AUTHORITIES: that they help in this dialogue with the foreign 
business people so that the resolution is respected and Raquel can be 
reinstated peacefully. 
TO THE INTERNATIONAL FIRMS: that they recommend that the Pung Kook Company in 
La Paz and in Seoul should not offer any protection against the resolution of 
the Arbitration Board and that Raquel should be reinstated peacefully in the 
next few days.
TO THE WORKERS ORGANIZATIONS: that they protest in favor of the peaceful 
reinstatement of Raquel and in support of solidarity among the maquiladora 
workers in Baja California Sur in Mexico, and in defense of labor rights and 
human rights and for the freedom to unionize.
La Paz, Baja California Sur, May 3, 2002
The (independent) Union of Maquiladora Workers in the State of Baja Califonia 
Sur 
SIGNED:


MÉXICO: Sindicato (independiente) de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras de la 
Industria Maquiladora en el Estado de Baja California Sur (SINTTIM), 
Corriente Democrática Sindical de la Sección Tercera del SNTE (CDS-III, 
B.C.Sur), Sindicato de Telefonistas de la Republica Mexicana (STRM sección 
89, B.C.Sur), Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores del Seguro Social (SNTSS,  
sección B.C.Sur), Sindicato Unico de Trabajadores Administrativos de la 
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur (SUTAUABCS), Sindicato de 
Trabajadores del Colegio de Bachilleres (SINTCOBACH, B.C.Sur), Sindicato de 
Trabajadores de la Preparatoria Gandhi (STPGANDHI, B.C.Sur),   Sindicato de 
Trabajadores de la Preparatoria Morelos (SITPREMO, B.C.Sur), Centro Autónomo 
de Investigaciones Sociales (CAIS, B.C.Sur); Colectivo la Gota  de Chihuahua, 
Casa de la Mujer Factor X de Tijuana, Comité Sociedad Civil Xalapeña de 
Jalapa, Colectivo Feminista Cihuatlahtolli de Orizaba, Mujeres Organizadas de 
Jalapilla de Veracruz, Organización Lilith de Mujeres Independientes de 
Tecate, Centro de Información para Trabajadores y Trabajadoras A.C. de 
Tijuana (CITTAC), Universitarios por la Democracia (UNIDEMO), Comité EUREKA, 
Movimiento de Cristianos Comprometidos con las Luchas Populares, Sección 
Académica del STUNAM de la Facultad de Economía, Taller de Economía del 
Trabajo de la UNAM, Centro de Investigación Laboral y Sindical (CILAS), 
Alianza Social Continental, Red Mexicana de Acción Frente al Libre Comercio, 
Frente Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (Oficina nacional, B.C.Sur, 
B.C.Norte, Nuevo León, D.F., Veracruz, San Luis Potosí), Comunicación 
Comunitaria A.C., Red de Defensa Ciudadana A.C.,  Servicios, Desarrollo y Paz 
A.C. (SEDEPAC, Tijuana, Coahuila), Grupo de Tecnología Alternativa, S.C. 
(GTA, S.C), Enlace-México, Coalición Pro Justicia en la Maquiladoras 
(CJM-México).
UNITED STATES: Sindicato Internacional de Empleados y Servicios (SEIU, Local 
49, Local 100, Local 1877), International Affairs Hotel Employees and 
Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE Local 2), Center of Policy 
Initiatives, Sweatshop Watch Enviroinmental Health Coalition, Communities 
United for People, Union Representative Service Employees International Union 
(SEIU, Local 535), Korean Immigrant Workers Advocate (KIWA), Goverment Worker 
Center, LA Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), US Labor Education in the 
Americas Project (US/LEAP), Campaign for Labor Rights (CLR), Zapatista 
Solidarity Coalition, Sacramentans for International Labor Rights, Sacramento 
Activists for Democratic Trade, Teamsters Local Union 912, Teamsters Local 
Union 556, Walla Walla and Pasco WA, ACORN, Enlace-Estados Unidos, Coalición 
Pro Justicia en las Maquiladoras (CJM-Estados Unidos).
CANADA: Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW), Union of Needletrades, Industrial 
and Textile Employees (UNITE); Comunications, Energy and Paperworkers Union 
(CEP) Humanity Fund; Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), United Steelworkers of 
America (USWA), Oxfam-Canadá, Maquila Solidarity Network, KAIROS:Canadian 
Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, Coalición Pro Justicia en las Maquiladoras 
(CJM-Canadá).
SPAIN: Confederación General del Trabajo (Relaciones Internacionales CGT), 
Solidaridad para el Desarrollo y la Paz (SODEPAZ-Asturias)


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