270,000 Mexican miners, steelworkers plan walkout

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0116mex-miners0116.html

Operations to resume after strike at Cananea ruled illegal

Chris Hawley
Mexico City Bureau
Jan. 16, 2008 12:00 AM

MEXICO CITY - More than a quarter-million Mexican miners and steelworkers planned to walk off the job in protest today after clashes with police last week at a mine near the Arizona border.

The one-day, nationwide walkout by 270,000 members of the National Union of Mine, Metal and Allied Workers is the latest twist in a 6-month-old strike at the Cananea copper mine, about 50 miles southwest of Douglas.

The mine's 1,300 workers have been on strike since July 30 to press demands that the owner, Grupo Mexico, provide more safety equipment and compensate workers for illnesses caused by breathing rock dust at the open-pit mine. They had blocked the mine's entrances, causing $2.8 million in losses to the company each day, according to Grupo Mexico.

On Friday, an arbitration panel ruled that the strike was illegal. Within hours, hundreds of federal and Sonora state police surrounded the mine, firing tear gas to clear the entrances.

About 20 workers were lightly injured in fights with police officers, said Cesar Sotelo, a spokesman for the union.

Grupo Mexico said Friday that it had regained control of the mine and had several hundred workers ready to resume work.


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