MEXICO CITY, April 18 (Reuters) – A Mexican union on Monday asked the U.S. government to investigate a Panasonic plant for alleged worker rights abuses, the latest in a series of disputes seeking to leverage a new trade deal to improve workplace conditions in Mexico.

In a petition to U.S. labor officials, filed on Monday and shared with Reuters, Mexican union SNITIS said a Panasonic (6752.T) car parts plant in the border city of Reynosa violated the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) by signing a union contract behind workers’ backs and firing several dozen employees who protested.

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The United States launched the first USMCA probes into labor violations in Mexico last year, demanding better worker protections amid union disputes at automaker General Motors (GM.N) and Tridonex, a U.S.-owned car parts plant. read more

The Rethink Trade program at the American Economic Liberties Project, a U.S. non-profit that pushes for corporate accountability, co-signed the petition with SNITIS.