The North American Labour Cooperation Agreement (NALCA): Negotiations, Contents and Perspectives

The negotiation of NALCA was preceded by an intense labour cooperation program between Mexico and the United States, on the one hand, and Mexico and Canada, on the other. The Mexican negotiation of the parallel agreement was based on three premises: to not reopen NAFTA; to defend national sovereignty, and to prevent parallel agreements transforming themselves into new forms of protectionism. These premises were respected, as the characteristics of the labour cooperation agreement show. This is an instrument that seeks to respond to the present needs and, a year past since it began, it seems it is fulfilling its objectives.