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Those who affirm that the new labor reform law, that President Felipe Calderon fast-tracked through Congress, is intended to put the PRI to the test, make a good point.

“Let’s see”, Mr. Calderon he must have said to himself, “If the PRI Party can handle this!”  Then he included labor union autonomy and transparency as part of the modernization of labor.

It seems that Mr. Calderon was placing a kind of political trap for Mr. Pena’s future government, to evince to the general public and voters that there is no such thing as a “new PRI”.  They want people to believe that the PRI is still carrying around the oldest and most obsolete labor unions, which reject any change that would affect the elite few that hold all the power in these organizations.

So, the outgoing president passed a “hot potato” to Enrique Pena Nieto, a hot potato that neither he nor former president, Vicente Fox, could handle.  They couldn’t handle this issue for many reasons, among which, as Luis Videgaray once put it bluntly, these two presidents passed off their reforms to the Chamber of Deputies with the same air of importance as someone who puts their ticket into the turnstile machine in the subway.

Mr. Calderon is still up to his old tricks, despite the losses he has suffered. This time he has chosen the new guise of “fast-track” reform, to oblige Mr. Pena Nieto, – who is the President Elect and still doesn’t have official power and elbowroom – to approve a reform which would paralyze his government.

Apart from the labor reform law which is being discussed today in the Chamber and its possible future, there is one topic that will continue to be dominant all throughout the country.  This one topic will be discussed in Congress, among academics and, without a doubt, in the Street; in this case with a capital “S”, as this is how we will refer to ourselves, since we are the biggest political space in the country.

Out there in the Street – that means homes, schools, public plazas or an internet café – Mexicans are asking themselves: if the law has fought to make everyone open and accountable, why are labor unions still an exception?

The reason for this question is obvious.  Underhandedness and impunity cannot exist in a country that strives to be more and more democratic.

The fact that nowadays labor unions are like a “Swiss bank account”, has led to a reproduction of a state of injustice that is similar to what is going on in the world of commerce.

That is why, in the same way we can speak of rich businessperson – poor company, we can say that the richer a labor union leader, the poorer the workers in the guild.

It is important to start examining labor union transparency from many different angles, starting with the relevance that this issue holds for society, public opinion, government and Congress, and of course, companies; but for more than anyone else, the worker.

What do leaders do with the money they have, what do they spend it on, and more importantly, what piece of the pie does each worker get?

Is the average Mexican worker now better-off because their labor union defends his or her rights?  Do they have a greater quality of life due to their leader’s efforts?

Mexico needs strong businesses, but also, strong labor unions.  However, the supposed strength of Mexican labor unions can no longer be sustained by a lack of democracy and transparency.

Company-worker relationships must begin to be discussed from a different and innovative point of view.

That doesn’t mean, however, that to be modern a worker must lose his or her rights.  On the contrary, labor reform will have to be geared towards bettering workers’ conditions.  It should also be focused on raising productivity in companies and on optimizing the role that labor unions have in this process.

It would be worth taking a look at how active Mexican labor unions are on the international stage.  Do they have any dealings with the IMF, the UN, the WHO, UNESCO or the WTO?  If they do, how do they integrate the advances made in health or education into their workers’ guilds?

The most evolved labor unions maintain a very active relationship with the most important economic and financial institutions in the world, with the objective of making an impact on their policies so that their workers will ultimately benefit.

For example, there are certain labor union groups that have pressured to make the fundamental norms of the World Labor Organization included in the World Bank’s loan contracting practices.

There are many myths and stereotypes when it comes to the topic of labor.  Labor unions say: we won’t budge an inch on labor union autonomy. In accordance with the most advanced legislation that has to do with human rights, they are correct; but, how sure is this autonomy and to what extent has the goal of benefiting workers been one of its primary concerns?