Mexican mining, refining crippled by national strike

Mexican mining, refining crippled by national strike

by Reuters

2nd March 2006

More than 20,000 Mexican miners and metal workers joined a nationwide strike yesterday that crippled output at the country's biggest mines, metals refineries and steel mills. Grupo Mexico, the world's No. 3 copper producer, said its Cananea and La Caridad copper mines were closed by workers who say labour conditions are unsafe.

Penoles, the world's top producer of refined silver, said workers at its massive Fresnillo silver mine were not working and top steel plants in the country were closed, including Mittal's four-million-tonne per year Lazaro Cardenas mill. There has been mounting unrest since an explosion at a coal mine in northern Mexico owned by Grupo Mexico killed 65 men last week.