WASHINGTON — The Office of the United States Trade Representative and the Government of Mexico (Mexico) today announced a course of remediation at Minera Peñasquito, S.A. de C.V. (Newmont Peñasquito), located in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. The remediation plan will help ensure workers at the facility can freely exercise their right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
Actions already taken by the company to address the matter include:
- Posting and dissemination of a neutrality statement and company guidelines on freedom of association and collective bargaining; and
- Installation of a complaint mechanism for workers to report violations of their rights anonymously and confidentially.
Under the course of remediation, Mexico will ensure that Newmont Peñasquito will, among other things:
- Reinstate and provide full backpay and benefits to two workers;
- Distribute hard copies of the neutrality statement and company guidelines related to freedom of association and collective bargaining to all company personnel;
- Implement the neutrality statement and company guidelines on freedom of association and collective bargaining, including a zero-tolerance policy for violations;
- Publicly acknowledge, through meetings with the workers and postings at the facility, the company’s unlawful and interfering practices;
- Conduct in-person training for all company personnel during work hours regarding rights related to freedom of association and collective bargaining; and
- Maintain its complaint mechanism for workers to report violations of their rights anonymously and confidentially.
Under the course of remediation, Mexico will:
- Review and facilitate the reinstatement and severance processes to ensure two workers receive reinstatement offers and full backpay and benefits, or full severance payments, as applicable; and
- Maintain a direct email address and telephone line for workers to anonymously report any potential acts of unlawful interference or other violations of workers’ freedom of association and collective bargaining rights.
The United States and Mexico agreed to establish a deadline of October 28, 2026 to complete the course of remediation.
Background
The United States Trade Representative and the Secretary of Labor co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement (ILC). On May 13, 2026, the ILC received an RRM petition from the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores Mineros, Metalúrgicos, Siderúrgicos y Similares de la República Mexicana (Los Mineros), a Mexican labor union. The petition alleged that Newmont Peñasquito had violated workers’ rights by retaliating against workers for engaging in union activity, including through unlawful dismissals. The ILC reviews RRM petitions that it receives, and the accompanying information, within 30 days.
The ILC determined that there was sufficient, credible evidence of a denial of rights enabling the good faith invocation of enforcement mechanisms. As a result, the United States Trade Representative submitted a request that Mexico review whether workers at Newmont Peñasquito were being denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. Mexico agreed to conduct a review. Following Mexico’s investigation, the United States and Mexico agreed on a course of remediation.
Read the full course of remediation here.
Read an unofficial courtesy Spanish translation of the full course of remediation here.
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