Workforce Development

Occupational Safety and Health

Migrant Workers

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

U.S. – Mexico collaboration on workforce development is being undertaken as part of the Cooperative Activities Program of the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC) and in support of the Partnership for Prosperity Program launched by President George W. Bush and President Vicente Fox on September 7, 2001, to promote economic growth and employment along the US Mexico border.

Bilateral cooperation in the area of workforce development between the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and Mexico’s Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) began in 2001. This collaborative effort has resulted in the successful establishment of an Internet-based job bank (Chambanet) in Mexico, the modernization of Mexico’s occupational classification system, and the development of model One-Stop Employment Service Centers. In 2004, DOL and Mexico's Secretariat of Labor (STPS) will undertake a joint assessment in the area of labor market projections, a priority of STPS in formulating relevant policies and programs consistent with the needs and requirements of Mexico's 21st Century workforce.

For more, see the cooperative activities undertaken by the US Department of Labor under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC), to address workforce development issues.

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

The Tri-National Working Group of Government Experts on Workplace Safety and Health was initially established pursuant to a June 11, 2002 Joint Declaration that settled various public communications filed under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC). As provided for in the Joint Declaration, Canada subsequently joined in September 2002 to become a tri-national group.

The Working Group is composed of government occupational safety and health experts from the three countries. Recently, the Working Group was expanded to facilitate the participation of safety and health experts representing industry and trade union organizations from the three countries. The responsibility of the working group is to review issues raised in public communications; formulate technical recommendations for consideration by the governments; develop and evaluate technical cooperation projects aimed at improving occupational safety and health in the workplace; and identification of other projects appropriate for collaboration among the three countries.

The Working Group had its first meeting on July 8 and 9, 2002 in Mexico City. It established technical expert subgroups to begin work in four key areas of occupational safety and health: handling of hazardous substances; safety and health management systems and voluntary protection programs; training of technical assistance staff and inspectors (with the collaboration of the Mexican General Directorate of Federal Labor Inspection); and the development of a tri-national web page for ongoing exchanges of information and good practices among the three countries.

The Working Group will meet on an ongoing basis and is headed, with guidance from the National Administrative Offices in the three countries, by the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, the Mexican Director General for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Director General of Operations of the Labor Program of Human Resources Development Canada.

For more, see the cooperative activities undertaken by the US Department of Labor under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC), to address occupational safety and health issues.

MIGRANT WORKERS

The US Department of Labor (DOL) and the Mexican Consulates in the United States, are engaged in collaborative efforts aimed at promoting better understanding of labor laws and practices in the United States through information sharing, outreach, education, training, and exchange of best practices. The DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Wage and Hour Division are implementing a series or initiatives in fulfillment of these shared objectives joint with the Mexican consulates.

For more, see the cooperative activities undertaken by the US Department of Labor under the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC), to address migrant worker issues.