Bitter sweetness: The health impact of privatization of a sugar mill in Mexico

Mexico is an active participant in the globalization process. In addition to rapidly opening its economy to international trade and to promoting its integration into the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), the government aggressively proceeded to privatize many of its productive holdings. The state-owned sugar industry was one of the first to be placed in the hands of the private sector, in part because of its symbolic role in radical politics during years following the 1910 Revolution; sugar cane and mill workers played an important role in the armed struggles of the revolutionary period (1910--1917). Organized into a militant labor union, they became staunch supporters of the new government. Furthermore, in the early years of industrialization, the sugar industry was very important for the Mexican economy and the union played an active role in the political arena. Since the privatization of the sugar mills, the sugar workers have experienced a dramatic reorganization of the work process and the industry-union relationship is being re-shaped. These changes can be observed quite clearly through a study of health and safety in the work place. This dissertation offers an analysis of the impact of the privatization on workees health and safety. Since the economic and social changes in the work process have a direct impact on the community as a whole, the research also explores these effects.