When top athletes ascend the awards podium at the Summer Olympic Games in London, the medals draped around their necks will be made primarily of metals mined by the London-based multinational company Rio Tinto. The supply chain behind the gold, silver and bronze would typically not be on the minds of athletes or spectators during these heady moments. But a campaign being launched this month by the United Steelworkers and their allies says medals supplied by Rio Tinto are not in keeping with Olympic ideals. The campaign is also backed by the global labor alliance Workers Uniting, Unite the Union – Great Britain and Ireland’s largest union – and the London Mining Network.
See http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/13000/rio_tinto_on_the_stand_over_olympic_medals_shareholder_meeting/.