Four days after a federal labor judge declared the mining union's blockade of global steel giant ArcelorMittal's facilities in Mexico illegal, workers reported that they sought legal protection to maintain the blockade ("mobilization") of a mine and a company's blast furnace in the western Mexican city of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán.
“Instructions have been given to the legal area of the National Union of Miners to promote before the competent authorities an injunction against orders of arrest, presentation and/or arrest, in favor of all unionized colleagues who make up section 271,” reported the National Union of Mining, Metallurgical, Steel and Similar Workers of the Mexican Republic (Sindicato Minero) on its social networks.
That union is headed by Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, current Senator of the Republic for the party in power. Some local media have reported that the union leader is waging a frontal war against mining companies.
According to the union's statement, the legal protection of workers who block the entrances to Arcelormittal companies was a direct order from its President and General Secretary, Napoleón Gómez Urrutia.
According to a statement from ArcelorMittal, since Saturday, June 8, with the judge's ruling, the workers had to end the 16-day blockades (started on May 24). However, Tuesday, June 11, 19 days of blockade have accumulated and with this the company has lost around 125,000 metric tons (mt) of liquid steel, the latter according to a brief calculation by SteelOrbis.
According to the union, with the legal protection they processed “the aim is to legally guarantee the integrity of our colleagues who maintain this mobilization in demand of a fair payment of profits”.
ArcelorMittal is the largest steel company in Mexico. Last year it manufactured 3.9 million mt of crude steel and 4.5 million mt of iron ore in its mining complexes.