International Steel Mills

Protest forces shutdown of ArcelorMittal Mexico’s blast furnace

June 5, 2024

Steel production at ArcelorMittal Mexico has been interrupted due to an “illegal protest” and blockade outside the company’s mill in Lazaro Cardenas, Mich.

Some Sindicato Minero union members, dissatisfied with the profit-sharing payments they received, have been obstructing access to the mill since Friday, May 24.

As a result, ArcelorMittal had to stop blast furnace operations to ensure safety and mitigate risk, it said in a statement translated from Spanish on Wednesday, June 5.

“The illegal blockade … has resulted in the loss of more than 100,000 tons of production, generating an operational and financial crisis with serious economic repercussions,” the company said in the statement.

It added that the events are endangering the continuity of the mill’s operations.

The union had previously issued a strike notice to the company if an agreement was not reached by June 4. However, on June 3, the union extended the pre-strike period, setting a new strike date of June 11 at noon.

ArcelorMittal Mexico maintains it is open to dialogue with the union and has urged “dissidents to channel their demands through appropriate legal channels.”

The Lazaro Cardenas steel mill has an annual production capacity of 2.5 million metric tons (mt) of flat steel, 1.8 million mt of long products, and 1 million mt of slabs.

ArcelorMittal Mexico could not be reached for more information.

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held a variety of positions within the steel industry since 2007, including reporting and editing for Steel Business Briefing/Platts, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, and Kallanish Commodities, as well as marketing for what was then known as ThyssenKrupp Steel USA (now AM/NS Calvert). After a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel in 2021 and has covered the flat rolled, tubular, and trade areas of the industry. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.