US and Mexico agree remediation plan at Peñasquito mine under the USMCA labour mechanism

23 October 2026

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the Government of Mexico announced a course of remediation at Minera Peñasquito (Newmont Peñasquito), a mine in the state of Zacatecas, on October 23, 2026. The case was handled under the USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM), which allows the United States to seek action when workers at a particular facility in Mexico are denied their right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

On May 13, 2026, the US Interagency Labor Committee received an RRM petition from the Mexican mineworkers' union, Los Mineros, which said the company had retaliated against workers for union activity, including through unlawful dismissals. After Mexico reviewed the matter, the two governments agreed a plan. The company must reinstate two workers with full backpay and benefits, give printed copies of its neutrality statement and freedom-of-association guidelines to all staff, enforce them with a zero-tolerance policy for violations, publicly acknowledge its unlawful and interfering practices, provide in-person training on workers' rights during working hours and keep an anonymous complaint mechanism running. Mexico will review and facilitate the reinstatement or severance of the two workers, with full backpay and benefits, and maintain an anonymous email and telephone line for reporting violations. The deadline to complete the remediation is October 28, 2026.

On the same day, USTR declared a separate RRM case at Amphenol Optimize México in Nogales, Sonora, resolved after the facility reinstated nine workers.