Corporate Social Responsability

Not a new idea.1884 Berlin Conference sets up the Congo Free

State under Leopold II of BelgiumAimed to establish free tradeSupress Slavery.

Sir Roger Casement

Britain commissioned Sir Roger Casement to investigate continued use of slave labour in rubber plantation.

Found use of slave labour, and mutilation of slaves, justified by rubber owners as a tradition.

1908 Belgian Parliament takes over Congo from King.

Putumayo Report 1910

Multinationals and States

1953 Coup in Iran overthrows Mossadegh AIOC (BP) 1956 Jacobo Arenz overthrown in Guatemala,

land reform threatened United Fruits. 1973 Coup overthrows government of Salvador

Allende, nationalised mineral interests.

Union Carbide – Bhopal Disaster

Gas leak December 1984 7000 people died within days, 15,000 in the

following years. 500,000 exposed to gas. Company agreed in Indian courts $490 million

payment. Denied responsability and refused to appear in

court in India

UCC transferred technology that was not proven and entailed operational risks. It did not apply the same standards of safety in design or operations to Bhopal as it had in place in the USA. Unlike in the USA, the company failed to set up any comprehensive emergency plan or system in Bhopal to warn local communities about leaks. As early as 1982, UCC was aware that there were major safety concerns regarding the Bhopal plant. Months before the December 1984 disaster, the US parent company was warned of the possibility of a reaction similar to the one that caused the eventual leak in Bhopal.

UCC has withheld the identity of reaction products released and related toxicological information critical to the medical treatment of victims

In September 1984, an Operational Safety/Health Survey of the MIC II Unit at UCC’s Institute plant, warned: “There is a concern that a runaway reaction could occur in one of the MIC Unit Storage tanks and that response to such a situation would not be timely or effective enough to prevent catastrophic failure of the tank.”

Clouds of Injustice, Bhopal Disaster 20 Years On, Amnesty International.

Newmont Indonesia

Buyat Bay, offshore dumping, 4 Million Tons into bay at depth of 82 metres Thermoline at 50-70 metres did not exist 666 mg/kg of arsenic in seabed sediment (50

mg/kg) 1000 µg/kg mercury (400 -496 µg/kg)

Risk to Health

No risk to health according to company Study carried out on basis of 10 grams of fish

fillet per day Local community are fishermen 450 grams per

day whole fish. Withdrew in 2004 leaving 4 of its mines with no

remediation and left the seabed tailings as they were.

Shell in Nigeria

Shell requested military help to build an oil pipeline through the Ogoni tribal lands.

Widespread abuse by military Four chiefs shot dead at public meeting. Ken Saro Wiwa arrested and charged with

being responsable. Shell paid out 15.5 million in compensation in

2009

Trial of Ogoni 9

Found guilty and hanged in 1995“The military dictatorship holds down oil-producing areas such as Ogoni by military

decrees and the threat or actual use of physical violence so that Shell can wage its ecological war without hindrance… This cozy, if criminal, relationship was perceived to be rudely disrupted by the non-violent struggle of the Ogoni people under MOSOP. The allies decided to bloody the Ogoni in order to stop their example from spreading through the oil-rich Niger Delta.”

– Ken Saro-Wiwa’s closing statement at the trial of the Ogoni 9

One month after the executions of the Ogoni Nine, Shell signed an agreement to invest $4 billion in a liquefied natural gas project in Nigeria.

http://wiwavshell.org/

Drummond

2001 three trade unionists murdered by paramilitaries as the travelled on company bus.

Murder ordered by Jorge 40 Rafael Garcia from DAS handed over lists of

trade unionists to be murdered. Garcia claims to have met Drummond officials

in relation to murders.

Bombing of Santo Domingo

13/12/1998 17 peasants murdered by Colombian Airforce

Airscan pilots hired by Occidental Petroleum gave coordinates to Airforce

Oxy is currently being sued in the US courts.

Coca Cola

Accused of the murder of 8 trade unionists in Colombia.

Two trade unionists spent six months in jail accused of planting bomb.

After investigation prosecutor concluded there was no bomb to begin with.

Chiquita

2007 company admitted payments to paramilitaries totalling at least $1.7 million

Being sued by 4,000 people 6,000 AK 47s entered through company's

freeport. Up till 2007 company denied any dealings with

paras.

Global Compact

Human RightsPrinciple 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and

Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.  

Labour

Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;

Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;

Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and

Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.   

Environment

Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;

Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and

Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.   

Anti-Corruption

Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery. 

Voluntary Principles On Security

Companies should consult regularly with host governments and local communities about the impact of their security arrangements on those communities.

Companies should communicate their policies regarding ethical conduct and human rights to public security providers, and express their desire that security be provided in a manner consistent with those policies by personnel with adequate and effective training.

Companies should encourage host governments to permit making security arrangements transparent and accessible to the public, subject to any overriding safety and security concerns.

Self Assessment

HU.4.A. IMPACT ASSESSMENTDoes the company have a procedure to assess and address the environmental and social

impact of its operations on the human rights of local communities? (Principle 1 and 2)

HU.4.B. LAND AND PROPERTYBefore buying, renting, acquiring or otherwise accessing land or property, does the

company ensure that all affected owners and users of the land or property, have been adequately consulted and compensated? (Principle 1 and 2)

HU.4.C. SECURITY ARRANGEMENTSDoes the company take steps to ensure that company security arrangements are in

accordance with international human rights principles for law enforcement and the use of force? (Principle 1 and 2)

Cyanide Code

Golden Star Resources signed up to code in March 2006, June 2006 in the Bogoso Mine Complex tailings dam leaked into River Aprepre.

Company continued to be member of Code.