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Australia: United they stand against Rio Tinto
As Rio Tinto sacks a hundred workers at its ill-fated Utah copper mine, so two unions - formerly at loggerheads for years - unite to take on the world's second largest iron ore miner. See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=12318.
Rio Tinto starts off downsizing at its Utah mine
Mining giant Rio Tinto has cut nearly 100 jobs at its Kennecott Utah copper mine and warned further positions will be slashed later this month to lower operating costs after a pit-wall collapse inside Bingham Canyon in April. See...
Aussie unions up in arms over BHP’s 100% fly-in-fly-out policy for workforce
BHP’s decision to use a 100% fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workforce at its Australian Bowen Basin coal mines, instead of hiring from the local community, is generating fierce opposition in Central Queensland. According to the CFMEU, Australia’s main trade union including...
Chile blocks its most ambitious mining project
Protest against Pascua Lama. Source: Miningwatch Canada The world's biggest gold mining corporation, Barrick Gold, has been served a US$16.4 fine and told to halt operations at its Pascua Lama project until it takes measures to prevent water contamination. While...
Newmont under fire in Aotearoa/New Zealand
"Outrageously the Government has appointed...Newmont's former public relations green washing expert, as the National Manager of Minerals...in charge of issuing mining permits throughout the country. " So comments the Coromandel Watchdog, pointing out that this is not...
The Mining Myth: Sustainability and Development
"Mining for development"? It's bonkers, claim NGOs. Australian Aid watchdog AID/WATCH and environmental organisation Friends of the Earth (FoE) held a demonstration at AusAID's Mining for Development Conference in Sydney, to assert that aid money should not be used to...
ICMM commits to Free Prior Informed Consent standard
The ICMM is a body made up of 22 mining companies. Commentary by Emily Greenspan of Oxfam America: "Last week the International Council of Metals and Mining (ICMM) released a new mining and indigenous peoples position statement requiring its 22 member companies to...
London Calling on a Tale of Two Disasters – both involving Rio Tinto
It's almost certainly the worst officially-recorded mining disaster in recent Indonesian history. On Tuesday, 21 May 2013, twenty eight mineworker were confirmed dead as the result of a tunnel collapse at Freeport's Grasberg operations in Papua during the previous...
Industry-controlled Responsible Jewellery Council Fails to Fulfil Promise of Preventing Conflict Diamonds and Dirty Gold
In a new report, "More Shine Than Substance: How RJC certification fails to create responsible jewelry," an international coalition of labour and environmental groups indicts the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC)’s certification system as misleading jewellery...
Indigenous communities put the heat on Shell!
Shell, one of the largest multinational corporations in the world and a company that prides itself in having strong stakeholder relations, was taken aback by a barrage of questions from shareholders and groups attending its AGM. Shareholders questioned Shell’s...