The Mexican system of labor relations is an example of the gap that can exist between the legal protections provided to workers within a given country and the actual rights that exist. Describe the rights granted by Mexican law and discuss how those rights differ from the reality of the workers' lives.

Mexico's constitution was the first to explicitly include workers' rights. The constitution guarantees the right to organize unions, bargain collectively, and strike. It provides protections against unjust dismissal and dangerous working conditions. It also mandates minimum wages, overtime pay, profit sharing, and eight-hour day, a six day workweek and pregnancy and childbirth leave. Mexican unions must have at least 20 members but does not need to represent a majority of employees to engage in collective bargaining. While there is no explicit obligation for management to bargaining with the union, labor contracts are legally enforceable. However, the extent to which these rights are actually honored is questionable. There appears to be heavy government control over unions and, as such, they serve political rather workers' goals.