Dow Jones reported that Mexican workers at steelmaker ArcelorMittal completed their 11th day on strike, with the company and union officials still divided over the terms of a contract renewal.

Mr Mario Garcia a union delegate for Michoacan said that workers reject being moved from one area to another on safety grounds. He complained that the company's offer in benefits was less than half what workers had expected or had received in previous years, and that the union is opposed to job reductions while the company employs 1,500 non union contract workers.

He said that the company was seeking to cut staffing levels by 20%, but a spokesman for ArcelorMittal rejected the assertion.

It may be noted that ArcelorMittal workers went on strike August 8th 2009 at the company's mills in the Pacific port city of Lazaro Cardenas in a dispute over contract negotiations. The company is offering a 7% wage increase and 2% in additional benefits, and in exchange requiring greater worker flexibility and mobility, including layoffs and the ability to move workers from one area to another.

ArcelorMittal reiterated that its offer is above the market average, and that it needs to find ways to fund any increase to stay competitive both domestically and internationally.

(Sourced from www.dowjones.com)