Solidarity does not stop at our borders

On April 16, Unite EC vice chair Jayne Taylor addressed a rally of thousands of Workers Uniting members including the Unite Steel Workers and the Mexican Metal Workers Union Los Mineros at a Rally in Lazero Cardenas, Mexico.

Jayne is part of a Unite delegation that has been in meetings with USW and Los Mineros members which have been dealing with Health and Safety, the creation of Workers Uniting, history of the United Steel Workers in the USA and Canada and Unite the Union in the UK and Ireland.

Los Mineros the biggest independent Trade Union in Mexico covers steel, mining and manufacturing and recently its affiliation to Workers Uniting has been confirmed.

Here’s what she said:

Jayne Taylor speaks out

Unite brings with us the solidarity and greetings of our General Secretary, Len McCluskey, our Executive Board and the 1.4m members of Unite from across the UK and Ireland.

Unite honours the memory of our brothers Mario Castillo and Hector Gomez. They tragically died fighting for what they believed in. Their loss and the struggle that Los Mineros continue in their memory is an inspiration to us all.

We stand shoulder to shoulder with you today and into the future.

I stand here not only as vice chair of the executive of Unite the union but also as a member of our transnational union Workers Uniting. Unite and the Steelworkers founded Workers Uniting to build solidarity across the Atlantic, and I am so proud that Los Mineros is now officially part of that family.

Unite also honours our friend Napoleon Gomez, a great union leader who for 12 years resisted the efforts of the Mexican government and Mexico’s largest corporations to destroy him and Los Mineros,

Unite whole heartedly congratulates Napoleon on being made a senator, and our General Secretary was truly honoured to be with him on his return to Mexico from exile last year.

Napoleon’s return to Mexico and becoming senator is not only a victory for his and Los Mineros’ courageous and dignified campaign, but for global solidarity in the face of injustice.

In the election of President Obrador the Mexican people and trade unions now have a real chance of equality and social justice

All of us in Unite are proud to call Los Mineros and the Steelworkers our sisters and brothers. All companies should know that wherever in the world a worker is being mistreated Los Mineros, the Steelworkers and Unite will be there.

Solidarity does not stop at our borders. To change this world for the better we need to stand together, fight together and win together. Viva Workers Uniting! Viva Napoleon Gomez! Viva Los Mineros!