Vol. 71/No. 10      March 12, 2007

On that date one year ago, a methane gas explosion tore through the Pasta de Conchos mine in San Juan de Sabinas, in the northeast state of Coahuila. Sixty-five workers were trapped deep in the mine by a massive roof fall. To this day only two bodies have been recovered.

Miners interviewed by the Militant at the time described the dangerous conditions in the mine leading up to the deadly blast. These included dangerous levels of methane gas, poorly maintained and inadequate safety equipment, antiquated methods of roof support, and a production bonus system that pressured miners to continue work at all costs. Investigators have not given an official cause for the explosion, but say they found problems with the mine’s ventilation system.

Relatives of those killed in the blast held a vigil and rally outside the mine. They have been fighting to keep the pressure on Grupo Mexico—the mining and railroad giant that owns the Pasta de Conchos mine—to recover the bodies of their loved ones.

About 7,000 miners in the state of Coahuila took part in the 24-hour work stoppage called by the National Mine Workers Union (SNTM), union officials said. Some 3,200 steel workers in Michoacán and 1,400 miners in Zacatecas also participated, according to the Mexican daily El Imparcial.

At other worksites, miners carried out more limited protests. Workers from Grupo Mexico’s giant Cananea copper mine did not stop work, but held a mass to mark the deaths in Coahuila.

The actions were called by one of two factions in the national miners union. In the wake of the disaster at Pasta de Conchos, Mexico's government announced it was removing the general secretary of the SNTM, Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, for alleged corruption, and instead recognized a rival union leader, Elías Morales.

Last year union members in Cananea and many other places organized work stoppages to oppose this blatant government intervention in union affairs, and to demand better safety conditions. The anniversary protests were organized by sections of the union that continue to back Gómez Urrutia.

In the year since the explosion, neither the federal nor the state governments have taken action to improve safety at other mines, many of which have similar conditions to those at Pasta de Conchos.
 
 
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