maquiladora

maquiladora
feminine noun
1. = bonded assembly plant set up by a foreign firm near the US border, maquiladora (United States)
MAQUILADORAS In the 1980s many non-Mexican companies set up assembly plants in areas along the US-Mexican border. They were attracted by the low wages, special tax concessions and the proximity to the US market. They usually assemble parts manufactured elsewhere, and by law they must re-export 80 percent of their production. Today these maquiladoras are an important source of income for Mexico and they employ more than a million Mexicans — mostly women. The managers are usually foreigners, whereas the hourly-paid workers, who have little job security and few benefits, are Mexican.

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