Sicartsa Strike still dragging on
According to local newspaper reports there has been no progress in the strike at Sicartsa's plant in Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, Mexico. Now in its 43rd day, a company spokesman for Sicartsa called on the members of the National Union of Mine and Metal Workers of Mexico to accept the package that management had negotiated with the union leadership but was subsequently rejected by union members. Not surprisingly, the spokesman cited the "delicate financial situation" the company finds itself in and the growing economic and social pressure on the Lázaro Cardenas area. The spokesman also noted that the company has lost 150 days of production during the last four years because of "illegal" strikes even though during this period, Sicartsa's wages have been some of the fastest growing in Mexico. On August 10, Mexico's National Labor Relation Board had also declared the strike action illegal.