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.
