Through protective labor legislation, the Mexican Government acts
as a guardian of the rights of its working-class citizens. The applicable
provisions of the Mexican Constitution actually function as a series of
statutes which authorize the government to take many actions on behalf
of workers. However, this apparent benevolence is also a form of control, and through its policies the government decides how much economic
and social power conventional worker organizations can wield.
The ruling party may strongly support the existence of trade unions, but
it has also usurped many traditional union functions. The system is
designed to provide Mexican workers with a broad range of rights and
privileges. Yet rather than being spoils earned in victory over employer opponents, these rights and privileges are in theory virtually automatic.
As long as the Mexican Government perpetuates its current labor policies,
workers appear to have nothing to fear, and everything to gain from
the discretionary power it wields.
