Mexico Develops Steps To Take Seriously Sexual Harassment In The Workplace

On September 6, 2012, the Mexican Federal Supreme Court promulgated internal rules that explicitly prohibit harassment in the workplace and establish guidelines for investigating and punishing such conduct. On another front, and in what represents a significant step towards reform in this area, on September 1, 2012, President Felipe Calderon proposed an amendment to Articles 47 and 51 of the Mexican Federal Labor Law (FLL) to include sexual harassment as grounds for termination with cause. Although the Supreme Court rules are only applicable to its employees, they are considered a guidepost to employers on how to prevent and eliminate sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace, and signal a shift in how the legislature will likely reform the FLL to regulate these behaviors in the workplace in Mexico.