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A closer look at just transition policies
Mexico

Potosí Labour Agreement

Region
Americas
Country
Mexico
Originator/Owner
Government Ministries And Agencies Subnational Level
Coordinating/Lead actor
Secretariat of Labour of the State of San Luis Potosi (STPS-SLP)
Policy type
Collective bargaining agreements
Policy areas
Enterprise policies, Industrial and sectoral policies, Macroeconomic and growth policies, Rights, Skills development, Social dialogue and tripartism
Environmental focus
Climate change
Target groups
Employers, Indigenous people, Women, Workers, Youth
Sectoral focus
Agriculture, Infrastructure, construction and related sectors, Energy, Forestry and Land use, Manufacturing, Private services sector, Public services, utilities and health
Crosscutting themes
Employment/job creation, Finance (public/private), Gender equality, Green economy
Date of Adoption
25 Jul 2024
Timeframe
25 Jul 2024 - 27 Sep 2027
25 Jul 2024
Adoption
27 Sep 2027
End of validity
Acuerdo Laboral de Potosí
Spanish, PDF

This Memorandum of Understanding on Green Jobs, Gender Equality and Labour Inclusion, signed in San Luis Potosí, is a tripartite agreement between the State Government, employers' organizations (COPARMEX, Automotive Cluster, CANACO), and workers' unions (C.R.O.M., C.T.M., Goodyear Workers' Union), with the ILO as a formal signatory and technical partner.

The agreement explicitly grounds itself in the ILO guidelines for a just transition, positioning social dialogue as the engine for achieving decent work and sustainable, inclusive growth in the state. Its validity aligns with the current state government's term.

As Mexico's top destination for foreign investment and its national leader in labour conciliation, San Luis Potosí had the most to gain from demonstrating that clean production, labour rights, and global conventions can coexist with economic competitiveness. The agreement responds directly to the state’s labour market reality: an economically active population of over 1.3 million; an average registered daily wage of USD 576 pesos (~USD 29); and stark gender gaps – men outnumber women roughly 7:1 in primary sector employment, underscoring the urgency of structural reform.

Each sector takes on binding commitments across five thematic areas: green job creation, green entrepreneurship, gender equity, labour inclusion, and training for workers – with governments, employers, and unions all undertaking actions. Accountability rests with a permanent Tripartite Monitoring and Evaluation Council, composed of all signatories including the ILO.

The vehicle for this engagement was the ILO Promover: Promoviendo empleos cada vez + verdes programme, an initiative originally launched in Mexico City as a post-pandemic recovery tool, later expanded to Coahuila, and now reaching its most ambitious form in San Luis Potosí. Promover seeks to build the capacity of governments and social partners to design integrated, inclusive policies placing employment at the centre of an environmentally sustainable economic recovery, with a clear gender and non-discrimination lens.

Key insights
An integrated and comprehensive approach to just transition: nine key agreements denoting a shared agenda across green jobs, gender equity, and labour inclusion

The process involved tripartite negotiation and signature. It is seen as a model pilot for other States in Mexico to follow, embedding just transition commitments into labour agreements with strong participation and oversight.

Each agreement denotes roles and responsibilities for the different parties. The purpose is to establish a strategic alliance to create green jobs, ensure gender equity, and promote labour inclusion for minorities and people with disabilities in San Luis Potosí.

The government leads through public policy and financial support for sustainable sectors including ecological agriculture, renewable energy, and waste management. Employers commit to investing in green technologies and eliminating workplace discrimination. Unions commit to defending labour rights, promoting women's leadership, and upskilling workers for the green economy.

On green jobs and entrepreneurship, the government will drive green economy policies, provide financial support, and offer technical advisory services, while employers invest in sustainable technologies, hire locally, and back innovative green projects, and unions identify green opportunities, upskill workers, and train affiliates in both business and environmental skills.

On gender equity, the government will enforce equal pay and work-life balance policies, employers will actively reduce the gender pay gap and promote women into leadership roles, and unions will defend women's labour rights and push for greater female representation within union leadership structures.

On labour inclusion, the government will fund tailored training programs for minorities, migrants, and people with disabilities, employers will build inclusive and accessible workplaces, and unions will fight discrimination and champion equal opportunities for all workers.

Expected Outcomes
By September 2027, this agreement seeks to deliver measurable progress across five interconnected fronts:
Implementation
The implemetation of the agreement is oversaw by the Tripartite Council though the Monitoring & Evaluation Committee

Composition and modalities of the governance body

Who sits on it:

  • The State Government, represented by Maestro Néstor Eduardo Garza Alvarez, Secretary of Labour and Social Welfare.
  • The ILO, represented by its Country Director.
  • The Labour Sector (Worker Side), represented by three organizations:
  1. Secretary General of the Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers (C.R.O.M.), San Luis Potosí;
  2. Secretary General of the Confederation of Workers of Mexico (C.T.M.), San Luis Potosí;
  3. Interior Secretary of the National Union of Goodyear Workers, Liga Sindical Obrera Mexicana section, San Luis Potosí.
  • The Employer Sector (Business Side), represented by three organizations:
  1. Coordinator of the Business Alliance of San Luis Potosí and President of COPARMEX (Mexican Employers' Confederation in SLP);
  2. President of the Automotive Cluster of San Luis Potosí;
  3. President of the National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism (CANACO), San Luis Potosí.

How the Council operates: Any member can request a session, channeled through the Secretary of Labour and Social Welfare, who determines whether the convening is justified and manages the session logistics. Disputes or unresolved matters are handled by mutual agreement within this Council.

The agreement was developed through extensive consultations, working sessions, and consensus‑building among the constituent groups supported by over eight-month process of ILO outreach
01 Nov 2023
First approach of the ILO's Mexico and Cuba Country Office to San Luis Potosí's Secretary of Labour, workers and employers' organizations.
Jan 2024 - Jul 2024
Preparatory work and sectoral consultations | Commissioned of pilot programme designs, development of a diploma course on inclusion, gender, and green jobs, certification of ten local facilitators in green entrepreneurship methodology, and presentation of a dedicated study on San Luis Potosí's green jobs potential to all stakeholders.
25 Jul 2024
Signature cerimony | Formal signing of the Acuerdo Laboral Potosí, which immediately gave rise to the Tripartite Council for Monitoring and Evaluation.
Other stakeholders
Target groups explicitly mentioned in the agreement

Women, people with disabilities, migrants, Indigenous people, people with diverse gender identities, sexual orientations and diverse religions, green entrepreneurs and workers in emerging sectors.