5 May, 2008Carlos Pavón, spokesperson for the miners' union, said that Grupo Mexico cannot close the mine because a collective agreement is in force. He said that the company is only trying to frighten the workers.
Mexico: Grupo Mexico has decided to close the Cananea mine because of the strike that began on 30 July 2007. The courts have declared the strike to be legal.
Grupo Mexico issued a statement announcing the closure of the mine. It said that the nine-month-old strike has led "the company to close the mine and pay off employees in accordance with the law".
The miners' union believes the announcement is purely tactical. The union's secretary for Political Affairs, Carlos Pavón, said the announcement of the closure of the company Mexicana de Cananea and the offer to pay off the workforce was "tactical". He added that: "we all know the strike is legal, so they can't do a thing. They're only trying to frighten the workers".
He explained that the company is not legally allowed to close unilaterally because a collective employment contract is in force. The company would have to ask the Conciliation and Arbitration Tribunal for permission to close the mine.
The union spokesperson said that the workers remain calm and are aware of what is happening. He said that Grupo Mexico "had expected the courts would accept its appeal against the legality of the strike, but things did not turn out as it expected and it is now clutching at straws".
Approximately 1,300 unionised workers are employed at Mexicana de Cananea, which is considered to be one of the biggest mines in the world.