Nearly a thousand workers at the Tayoltita mine—part of the San Dimas Unit in Durango—announced on Thursday a total and indefinite work stoppage to express their dissatisfaction with profit-sharing allocations and to demand better safety conditions.
The conflict escalated after negotiations broke down between union representatives and executives from the Canadian corporation First Majestic, which owns the significant gold and silver deposit.
Approximately 600 disgruntled miners initiated the work stoppage on May 18; by today, the cessation of labor had become total, involving around one thousand unionized workers.
The miners allege serious financial discrepancies regarding the amounts calculated by the company, while the union denounces violations of internal agreements, as well as the non-payment of bonuses that had already been stipulated in the collective bargaining agreement.
In addition to the foregoing, they are demanding the implementation of improved safety measures and conditions within the mining facilities.
The suspension of work forced a complete halt to gold and silver extraction operations, also impacting local contractors.
The National Union of Mining Workers (Sections 21 and 22) has warned that a formal strike will be declared if their demands are not met.
Source: unotv
