Labor & Employment Law

AFL-CIO Condemns Attacks on Mexican Miners

By James Parks

Members of the United Steelworkers and supporters protested Mexican President Felipe Calderon?s visit to Washington, D.C. last month.

The AFL-CIO today strongly condemned the violent federal assaults against striking miners and their families at Grupo Mexico’s Cananea and Pasta de Conchos mines in Mexico.

On Sunday, some 400 federal riot police attacked striking miners standing guard at mine entrances at the Cananea mine. Hours later, at the Pasta de Conchos mine, police removed families working to recover the bodies of 63 miners still trapped underground after a deadly explosion killed 65 workers and forced the closure of the mine in 2006.  

Workers at Cananea and two other Grupo Mexico mines have been on strike since July 2007 to demand safer working conditions.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said:

Sunday night’s assault is yet another example of the Mexican government’s unjustified persecution of miners who are bravely taking a stand against the country’s largest mining company, Grupo Mexico. U.S. support to Mexican security forces is enabling the Mexican government and Grupo Mexico to violate workers’ most basic rights. As long as the Mexican military and police continue to violate the fundamental rights of workers, the U.S. Congress should freeze current funding for these forces and any proposals for future support.

Read the full statement here.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on June 09, 2010 (boomark / email).