Mexico allows first independent union in assembly plant

The government in Mexico has approved the creation of the first independent trade union in an assembly plant along the United States border, after a hunger strike by workers at the factory.

The authorities had previously refused all requests for independent trade unions to be set up in these assembly plants.

Workers at the Korean-owned plant elected a union in October to improve conditions at the factory but officials immediately banned it.Many United States based manufacturers set up factories across the border after the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement to take advantage of cheaper labour.

But US unions have accused them of exploiting the lack of protection for workers at the plants, where conditions are often poor.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service