[Excerpt] The allegations raised in this submission relate to the denial of freedom of association and the right to organize at the maquiladora operations of the Sony Corporation, doing business as Magneticos de Mexico (MDM), in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. In brief, the specific allegations involved: dismissals-workers were dismissed in retaliation for union organizing activity; union election—a union delegate election was flawed since there was insufficient notice of election and an open vote rather than secret ballot; work stoppage—workers protesting the election in front of the plant were dispersed by police using physical force; and union registration—a petition for registration of an independent union was rejected by a labor tribunal on improper and hyper-technical grounds. In addition, the submission charged the Government of Mexico with violating its obligations under the NAALC and under Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labor Organization (ILO), ich guarantee freedom of association and the right to bargain collectively.