**Sit-In at Prime Well Demands Justice for Missing Employee Servando Salazar**
On December 23, 2024, several representatives from the Union of Home Workers of Baja California have planned a protest at Prime Well to mark the four-month anniversary of the disappearance of Servando Salazar Cano within the company’s premises. The group’s primary objective is to seek justice and clarity regarding his disappearance.
Despite being months into the case, the state’s Labor and Social Welfare Secretariat (STPS) has yet to deliver an anticipated report promised in November. Carmen Valadez Pérez, a member of the civil association, criticized both the STPS and the State’s Attorney General’s Office for their lackluster efforts. She voiced her concerns, claiming that the investigation, led by María Elena Andrade Ramírez, has been insufficient.
The protest is scheduled to commence at 5:00 PM at Prime Well. Participants will distribute flyers and collect signatures to demand truth and justice for Servando, in solidarity with his wife Wendy, his daughters, and in memory of Eduardo Ortiz Franco, a fellow worker who lost his life at the same company, just two months post-Servando’s disappearance. The request will be forwarded to various authorities, including the state’s Labor Secretariat, the Attorney General’s Office, and both state and national Human Rights Commissions, urging them to ensure the case isn’t forgotten amid the quest for accountability.
Documentation accessed related to the protest criticizes Prime Well for neglecting its responsibility, despite having over 80 security cameras, guards, and supervisors on site. Additionally, it points fingers at Henry Chen, the company’s executive chairman, and Jaime Carreón, its comptroller, suggesting their possible involvement in Servando’s disappearance.
Furthermore, the delayed response of the State’s Attorney General Office is condemned for allowing potential evidence sites like furnaces and tanks to remain operational 25 days post-incident, thwarting thorough investigations. The agency’s sluggish performance allegedly facilitated the theft of Servando’s belongings from his vehicle, which was supposedly under surveillance.
Carmen Valadez Pérez highlighted the lack of union freedom and repression of workers at Prime Well when questioning safety measures, like working without appropriate masks amid harmful acid vapors and aluminum fumes.
**Baja California Labor Safety Concerns Rise**
In 2023, Baja California reported 8,811 work-related accidents, accounting for 11.5% of all such incidents in Mexico. Tijuana led with the highest number of workplace injuries, often categorized as “industrial crimes” when proper training and labor rights are not observed. This figure underscores ongoing issues with worker safety and the state’s inability to uphold adequate protections.
Valadez Pérez also pointed out the absence of updated statistics for 2024, despite continuous workplace incidents, particularly in the maquiladora industry. She mentioned a recent tragedy involving a worker in Rosarito losing an arm at a manufacturing site.
This call for heightened oversight and workplace reforms in Baja California places significant pressure on state agencies to prioritize worker safety and enforce compliance with existing labor laws.