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Goan farmers fear environmental disaster, courtesy Vedanta

Richard — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:00:21 +0000

London-listed Vedanta Resources’ iron ore subsidiary, Sesa Goa, is the biggest mining company in India’s internationally-renowned “holiday state”. Most tourists are blissfully unaware of the company’s impacts. But, for many Goan farmers, the massive overburden dumps created by Sesa Goa aren’t just eyesores. They form precarious mountains of potentially toxic mud which bleed onto crops, smother vegetation, and contaminate water sources.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11707.

West Africa emerging as the new Pilbara

Richard — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:48:06 +0000

West Africa is emerging as the next significant iron-ore province after Australia’s rich Pilbara and is attracting the attention of global majors and the Chinese, says the London-Aim-listed West African Minerals. Major diversified miners are attracted to the area by the potentially large, high-grade deposits generally with low impurities and low processing costs.

See http://www.miningweekly.com/article/west-africa-emerging-as-the-new-pilbara-west-african-minerals-2012-05-21.

African Minerals condemned in Sierra Leone

Richard — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:19:42 +0000

NATURAL RESOURCE GOVERNANCE AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE (NaRGEJ) PLATFORM – SIERRA LEONE

AS CONFLICT BREWS IN BUMBUNA, CIVIL SOCIETY DEMANDS IMMEDIATE GOVERNMENT ACTION PRESS RELEASE Freetown, Wednesday, 9th May, 2012. We, the civil society organisations working on natural resources in Sierra Leone under the umbrella of the Natural Resource Governance and Economic Justice (NaRGEJ), having undertaken an in-depth investigation into the recent Bumbuna incidence, are worried over the level of and frequency of violence that is occurring in that once peaceful community. Our worries stemmed from the latest incidence, which was allegedly characterized by sporadic shooting by the armed wing of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), resulting in the death of 24 years old Musu Conteh and leaving eleven others with serious gunshot wounds.

It may be recalled that workers of the African Minerals Limited staged a protest in the Bumbuna mine site on Monday 16 April 2012 over low wages and unfair treatment meted out by their employers. The highhanded response of the police deployed to maintain security around the site led to the dead of one person and the wounding of many others. As a consequence, the government issued a press statement indicating that His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma wasted no time in dispatching a team of senior government officials to the area to engage all stakeholders, including the aggrieved workers, in an effort to resolve the impasse. The outcome of the meetings was a communiqué signed by all parties, in which the company (AML) agreed to adhere to most of the concerns that the workers had earlier raised.

It is worthy to note that the use of excessive force against defenseless and peaceful citizens protesting against the inhumane treatment meted out to them by mining companies operating in the country has become a disturbing phenomenon. The police are in most cases accused of doing this at the behest of the mining companies. This cannot be unconnected to the lack of transparency and inclusion in corporate governance resulting in poor regulations, procedures and mechanisms that favour largely the company leaving the citizens very vulnerable.

In 2010, at another AML mining site on the outskirts of Bumbuna, landowners were subjected to unprovoked violence and harassment as they resisted corporate abuse of their rights. Similar disturbances between affected property owners in the Koidu Holdings Limited concession in Kono District in December 2007 led to the death of two unarmed protesters and the wounding of several others. Despite official pronouncements from the government and subsequent investigations carried out, not much was done to redress the situation.

And we believe that the government has a fundamental constitutional and moral responsibility to protect lives and properties of its citizens. This does not in any way allude that we are not mindful of the government’s swift interventions in addressing conflicts emanating from workers protests and in helping to pacify the ensuing tensions. But we also equally believe that bringing the perpetrators of these inhuman and barbaric acts to justice will further enhance citizens’ confidence and peace in the mining communities.

It is in view of this that the Natural Resource Governance and Economic Justice platform is demanding that:

1. The Government of Sierra Leone sets up a Commission to inquire into the violence and conflicts that have been associated with AML resulting in the death of one Sierra Leonean and injuries to many others in order to establish the root causes of these conflicts and the best way forward;

2. The Government of Sierra Leone ensures that all parties fully comply with the Communiqué on the recent incident in Bumbuma;

3. The Government of Sierra Leone and AML adopt international best practice procedures in corporate governance by implementing the UN Business and Human Rights Principles and the ILO Convention on Labour Laws;

4. The Government of Sierra Leone immediately restore the Bargaining Certificate of the Mining and Allied Services Union (MASEU) whose withdrawal is depriving the workers of exercising and enjoying their labour rights;

5. The Government of Sierra Leone causes the AML to hold orientation sessions for their expatriate workers on the culture of Sierra Leone, particularly those aspects that are peculiar to the Tonkolili district where the operations of the company are based;

For detailed report and more information please check website www.nmjd.org or contact any of the institutions listed: Campaign for Good Governance, Conscience International, Talking Drum Studio , Sierra Leone Network on the Rights to Food (SilNORF), ACTION-AID International SL, Association of Journalists on Mining and Extractives (AJME), Green Scenery, Mining and Allied Services and Employee Union (MASEU), Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) and National Advocacy Coalition on Extractives (NACE) and individuals whose contact numbers are mentioned below:

NMJD – PLATFORM CHAIRMAN +232 76 645 314, +232 76 673712 OR NACE – CO – CHAIR +232 76 602470; CJM 076-600954

Vedanta charges ahead in India

Richard — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:15:34 +0000

London-listed Vedanta Resources has yet again fallen foul of Indian law. Its Sesa Goa subsidiary is finally to be prosecuted for alleged fraud connected with iron ore trading. Meanwhile, residents in Goa itself accuse Vedanta of seeking to build a new pig iron smelter under the guise of expanding an existing, highly polluting, plant.

Yet another group of government workers has taken umbrage at the prospect of a deal with Vedanta – this time in Orissa. Last month, staff at child nutrition centres in Karnataka revolted against a move to place the UK company in charge of a government feeding programme. Now, employees at state-run Nalco are protesting against the prospective sale of their alumina to Vedanta’s Jharsaguda smelter. The workers maintain that Nalco “will not only lose precious foreign exchange leading to fall in its profit, it would also pave the way for Nalco’s privatisation. We will not allow this to happen”.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/11674.

See also Vedanta pollution: 22 died of TB in a village, allege tribals, http://www.cgnetswara.org/index.php?id=10774.

London Calling muses on the future of Mining’s Giants

Richard — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:11:55 +0000

Two of the world’s three biggest mining companies – BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto – are currently “dialing down their risks and the pace of their previous dash for growth”. This is in order that they can “adjust to the evolving near to medium-term environment and…focus their spending on the projects with the strongest medium-term returns.” At least that’s the view of Stephen Bartholomeusz, one of the most astute commentators on the mineral industry.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/11679.

Vedanta casts more oil on troubled Indian waters

Richard — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:13:18 +0000

Ever since its triumphant listing on the London Stock Exchange in December 2003, Vedanta Resources has moved several big steps forward, yet suffered several setbacks at the same time.

Last month, the company announced it was exploring for iron ore in Liberia. This came just as a court challenge was made to Vedanta’s take-over of Cairn India, which granted the UK outfit access to the country’s most prospective oil field.

Vedanta has also just taken control of a major child nutrition programme in Karnataka, despite accusations that the move is illegal. It’s also been vigorously contested by the very workers responsible for the scheme.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11659.

Worker riot at African Minerals’ Sierra Leone mine turns deadly

Richard — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:04:56 +0000

Two days of rioting over pay by workers from London-listed African Minerals’ Sierra Leone mine have left one woman dead and at least six injured, witnesses and medical staff said. The company said operations had seen “no significant impact”.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11661.

Vedanta’s PR Campaign Backfires in India

Richard — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:01:10 +0000

On a recent visit to Bhubaneswar, the capital of the large eastern state of Odisha, I found the airport plastered with advertisements and slogans expressing the nurturing, socially conscious side — caring for the poor, growth with inclusive values, creating happiness — of the many steel and aluminum companies that have major operations in one of India’s poorest but most mineral-rich and business-friendly states.

The most prominent voice in this cluster belonged to Vedanta, a London Stock Exchange-listed “globally diversified natural resources group with wide-ranging interests in aluminium, copper, zinc, lead, silver, iron ore, oil and gas and power,” headed by Anil Agarwal, one of India’s richest and most controversial businessmen.

Read about what the advertisements did not say…

See http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-24/mining-company-s-pr-campaign-backfires-in-india.html.

Brazil historic site could trip up big Anglo mine

Richard — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:54:50 +0000

Anglo American’s plans to open its largest ever iron ore mine have stumbled over new rulings that will delay preparations to build the mine until it is deemed safe for an archaeological site within its perimeter.

See http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/13/anglo-brazil-ruling-idUSL2E8FDA5A20120413A.

BlackRock reduces BHP Billiton stake to 6.5% – paper

michaela — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:12:05 +0000

Investor BlackRock has reduced its weighting in BHP Billiton to 6.5% from as high as 10% on concern over near-term returns as the miner pursues a long-term growth strategy.

See http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page67?oid=148393&sn=Detail&pid=92730.

Rio wields the diamond blade

michaela — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:08:20 +0000

About three months after BHP Billiton announced it was reviewing the future of its diamonds business with a view to selling it, Rio Tinto has followed suit with its own strategic review. The decisions of both of the big miners to question the future of diamonds within their portfolios might, at face value, appear odd. The fundamentals for the sector appear quite solid, with rising demand and little new supply. Demand for diamonds tends to grow with living standards and therefore they lag peaks in demand for hard commodities like iron ore or copper. Rio itself expects demand from India and China to double by the end of this decade. So why sell?

See http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Rio-diamonds-BHP-Argyle-sale-future-portfolio-De-B-pd20120327-SS5V5?opendocument&src=rss.

Vedanta’s girl has got the “X Factor”!

michaela — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:00:57 +0000

Vedanta Resources’ cynical campaign, to create an impression of “happiness” among communities impacted by its destructive activities, has been widely ridiculed. Now, it turns out that Vedanta’s supremo, Anil Agarwal, has been grooming his own daughter to spread the corporate guff. Meanwhile, India’s Serious Fraud Office has concluded that Vedanta’s subsidiary, Sesa Goa, did not infract rules on the invoicing of its iron ore exports. And, in a further boost to the company’s fortunes, Vedanta’s full take-over of its Hindustan Zinc subsidiary now looks close to fruition.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11588&l=1.

Australia passes controversial mining tax into law

michaela — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:14:17 +0000

The Australian Senate has pushed through into law a 30% tax on iron ore and coal mining companies. The tax will raise A$10.6bn ($11.2bn, £7bn) over three years from major companies including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17441170.

See also: Court threats loom as Australia’s mining tax passed http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hymTU1FJTqrQfMtQ0z2PXP2IzOygdocId=CNG.9fd2e1098c02c3cc04099ac8d7f2e9e9.11.

India: Iron fists in dubious gloves

michaela — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:57:34 +0000

The Indian state of Goa has pledged to close down all illegal iron ore mines. That’s welcome news, except that some “legal” outfits – such as Vedanta’s Sesa Goa – have also been accused of profiting from illegal operations. Meanwhile, the world’s second largest iron ore exporter, Rio Tinto, is set to invest US$2 billion in its Orissa iron ore project, claiming it’s already “working with local communities” to secure a social license.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11552.

Glencore/Xstrata make iron ore a priority

michaela — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:55:51 +0000

Glencore/Xstrata make iron ore a priority Glencore and Xstrata, set to create a $90 billion mining powerhouse, have put iron ore at the top of their post-merger to-do list, building up the one key commodity where they are all but absent. Yet industry sources caution that without a major deal, any hopes the two will swiftly repeat their coal success in iron ore — a lucrative markets which is mostly concentrated in a few companies’ hands — may be disappointed.

See http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page39?oid=146790&sn=Detail&pid=92730.