PRI President José Antonio González Fernández on developing a new labor culture

Abstract

Executive Overview José Antonio González Fernández is president of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the political party that has governed Mexico since 1929. Until spring 1999, he was the secretary of labor and social security, the position he held at the time of this interview. Since 1974, he has held numerous senior positions in the Mexican government Mr. González served as the legal affairs attaché at the Mexican Embassy in Washington, and as director general for North America in the Ministry of Foreign Relations, He was vice president of the Interamerican Commission on Drug Abuse for the Organization of American States, served as director of several government commissions, and as president of the Foreign Relations Committee. He has held senior positions in the Ministries of Education and Health, and served as attorney general of the Federal District of Mexico. Mr. González received his law degree in Mexico in 1975 and master's degrees in public administration and political science from the University of Warwick in England. As PRI president, he is currently preparing his party for the presidential election on July 6, 2000. In his remarks below, he speaks of the many changes that have taken place in Mexico in recent years and the Mexican government's desire to create a new labor culture.