' PRODUCTIVITY IN LATIN AMERICA ' : PRECIS

 

I am an assiduous reader of The Economist, always admiring and praising your global coverage, technical depth and well-argued liberal values.

However, by choosing the headline '' A land of useless workers '' [ June 10th ] to describe productivity in Latin America you fell short of those standards. 

As a Mexican citizen, I have met and learned from informal workers. They typically work more than eight hours a day in rigorous unsafe conditions.

Sadly, many of these workers cannot even afford healthy and balanced diets to provide them with the necessary energy that their jobs demand.

They receive very low economic remuneration and perhaps even less social recognition.

Although the article was well researched and nuanced, describing all Latin American workers as ''useless'' was insensitive and  disrespectful, to say the least.

Pablo Reynoso,

Friendship Heights,

Maryland.