In the protest of the Mining Union that has kept part of the facilities of the unit in Mexico of the largest private steel company in the world, ArcelorMittal, paralyzed by blockade for 42 days, the company began the legal process to dismiss 1,224 unionized workers for violating the Mexican Federal Labor Law.
“The company requested from a federal labor judge additional notification for 500 people for the termination of the Collective Bargaining Agreement of Section 271, reaching 1,224 layoffs,” the company reported in a press release.
ArcelorMittal Mexico confirmed that the process will respect the labor rights of workers. In addition to following the legal process with business ethics, social commitment and strict adherence to the law.
The company accuses the workers of violating the country's Federal Labor Law, regarding collusion with other workers in order to damage the source of employment, furtive and illegal kidnapping of the facilities, among other violations.
“These acts constitute a cause of force majeure that allows the company to terminate its collective bargaining agreement and its individual labor relations,” the steel company reported.
As of July 4, there have been 42 days of blockade. About 276,000 metric tons (mt) of billet and about 69,000 mt of rebar have been lost at another ArcelorMittal plant that supplies the steel produced by the blast furnace paralyzed by the workers' blockade since last May 24.