Union shift may end Grupo Mexico disputes

Mexico’s labour board, which governs the country’s employment law, has confirmed that thousands of workers are leaving the National Mining and Metal Workers Union (NMMU).

The union has led an eleven-week strike involving workers at the Cananea copper mine and other operations run by the Grupo Mexico corporation.

In August the labour board ordered striking miners to return to work but union leaders pledged to continue the walkouts.

However, in September, workers at eight Grupo Mexico sites voted to abandon the 73-year old NMMU, and join a new union.

While the disputes have been nominally over securing safer working conditions and pay, negotiations have been hampered by a power struggle between the leader of the NMMU and Grupo Mexico.

The NMMU claims that the vote by its members to join a new union was won by a dirty tricks campaign and has plans to go bring a court case to declare the new union Illegal.

Most specifically, the NMMU maintains that the new union is in the pocket of Grupo Mexico and that the shift will be detrimental to workers.

Over the past 12 months, the NMMU has called a number of strikes in support of its leader, who alleges there is an orchestrated campaign by Grupo Mexico to oust him.