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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 000413 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DRL/AWH AND ILCSR, WHA/MEX AND PPC, USDOL FOR ILAB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB ECON SOCI PINR PGOV MX
SUBJECT: PARTY POLITICS DIVIDE LABOR MOVEMENT "UNITY" OVER 
PRICE INCREASES 
 
REF: MEXICO 0391 
 
 ¶1.  SUMMARY: The successful organization of Mexican labor 
movement participation in a January 31 st, mega-march to 
protest price increases in basic food items now appears very 
much in doubt. The unified image labor had hoped to project 
in demonstrating against price increases was shattered when 
it became known that some labor supporters of failed PRD 
presidential candidate, Manual Andres Lopez Obrador, 
attempted to give him a prominent role in the march.  Unions 
associated with the PRD political party at first tried to 
promote Lopez Obrador as a leading figure in the scheduled 
mega-march but then backtracked claiming he would just be 
another participant. However, even with a reduced role, the 
labor unions associated with the PRI, Mexico,s other large 
opposition political party, are still threatening to pull out 
of the mega-march over the question of Lopez Obrador,s 
participation.  This division over party politics on an issue 
--opposition to price increases-- that had unified the 
spectrum of Mexico,s labor unions may be an indication of 
the difficulties the movement will face in coming together to 
promote reforms all believe would benefit the average Mexican 
worker.  END SUMMARY 
 
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LABOR UNIONS UNITE TO UNION MEGA-MARCH 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  On January 22, nearly the entire spectrum of Mexico,s 
organized labor movement (over 4 million members) announced 
plans to participate in a mega-march being organized to 
protest recent price increases in such basic food items as 
tortillas, eggs and milk.  The announcement of a unified 
labor movement participation in the mega-march was made by 
Francisco Hernandez Juarez, one of the leaders of the 
association of labor organizations that form the National 
Workers Union (UNT) According to Hernandez, the recent wave 
of price increases in basic food items had unified the 
various elements of Mexico,s labor movement and prompted 
them to form a common front to demand action by recently 
inaugurated Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his 
National Action Party (PAN) government.  The scheduled date 
of the mega-march is January 31. 
 
¶3.  The intent of the mega-march was to bring together a 
broad range of labor and various other social organizations. 
These organizations were to come together to protest/demand: 
price controls on a basket of 30 basic food items; an 
emergency salary increase for workers below a particular wage 
range; and a meeting with the GOM,s Secretary of Labor and 
President Calderon to discuss solutions to the economic 
problems facing workers and the general Mexican public. 
 
¶4.  When first announced on 1/22, the mega-march reportedly 
included over 150 union, peasant/farmer and social 
organizations.  Among the unions scheduled to participate, in 
addition to the UNT, were such other national organizations 
as the Congress of Labor (CT), the Mexican Workers 
Confederation (CTM), the Union of Mexican Electrical workers 
(SME), the Mexican Railway Workers Union (STFRM) and the 
Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants (CROC). 
During the mega-march announcement, Hernandez of the UNT 
expressed the hope that the unity demonstrated by the march 
would carry over into other areas of labor 
cooperation/coordination.  Another labor leader, Martin 
Esparza Flores of the SME, stated unequivocally that the 
unity of the mega-march would last for the full six years of 
the Calderon administration. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
LABOR,S UNITED FRONT QUICKLY ENDED BY PARTY POLITICS 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶5.  Labor unity was shattered by the introduction of party 
politics within days of the announcement of the mega-march 
and the statements of worker solidarity.  The incident which 
prompted the fissures was apparently instigated by the UNT. 
The UNT is often associated with the Party of the Democratic 
Revolution (PRD) and in July last year that party,s 
presidential candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) 
only narrowly lost a hard fought election. Neither the 
candidate nor the party gracefully accepted the loss and 
emotions over the entire matter still run high. Undoubtedly 
as a result of these still strong emotions the UNT attempted 
to assure the PRD,s failed presidential candidate a 
prominent role in the mega-march. 
 
 
MEXICO 00000413  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  When AMLO,s proposed role in the mega-march was first 
announced, the UNT unilaterally indicated that he would lead 
the march and serve as the event,s keynote speaker.  This 
unilateral UNT action quickly produced sharply negative 
reaction by several of the other national unions, in 
particular from the CT, the CTM and the STFRM, all of whom 
are closely associated with the Institutional Revolutionary 
Party (PRI), the second largest opposition political party in 
Mexico,s national legislature. 
 
¶7.  At first, the UNT and various PRD politicians (including 
the party,s national leader) tried to argue that the 
presence of Lopez Obrador in the mega-march was essential 
since he personified the symbol of what they described as the 
right wing PAN government of President Calderon.  These 
statements produced a firestorm of criticisms from PRI 
affiliated unions which accused the UNT and PRD of trying to 
capitalize on the hardships being suffered by Mexican workers 
for political purposes.  Consequently, the main PRI 
affiliated unions declared they would completely withdraw 
from the mega-march rather than be associated with a 
one-sided political party event. 
 
------------------------------------- 
UNT/PRD UNABLE TO RESTORE LABOR UNITY 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  In the face of this harsh criticism and the decision by 
most of the PRI affiliated unions to withdraw from the 
mega-march, the UNT and PRD ultimately attempted to 
backtrack.  Instead of having AMLO lead the event and be its 
keynote speaker, they asserted that he would just be another 
participant in the event.  Unfortunately for them, these 
concessions failed to sway the PRI affiliated unions. 
Rather, they appear to have prompted the PRI affiliated 
unions to reaffirm their decision not to take part in the 
mega-march and instead to publicly announce their intention 
to work with the government of President Calderon to find 
other ways to address the concerns of their members and 
average Mexicans over the recent price increases in basic 
food items. 
 
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COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶9.  Within the space of a single week, what started out as a 
strong show of labor solidarity ended up highlighting the 
reality that some unions will put political party affiliation 
ahead of longer term goals. The recent price increases in 
basic food items have undoubtedly caused hardships for many 
Mexicans and prompted the GOM to take actions to ameliorate 
their distress (REFTEL).  The plans for the mega-march, had 
they gone forward as originally announced, would have put 
Mexico,s organized labor movement in a good position to 
express its concerns over price increases to President 
Calderon, and to present a united front on other issues of 
interest to Mexican workers.  Unfortunately for the unions, 
partisan politics frustrated this attempt at labor unity. 
Mexico,s organized labor movement can only hope that the 
lessons of the now probably not-so-mega-march will allow them 
to work more closely together as the country deals with such 
pressing and upcoming reforms of Mexico,s federal labor, 
energy and fiscal administration laws. 
 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
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GARZA