http://127.0.0.1:8000 Tracking the positive and negative impact of over 3000 companies worldwide. en-gb Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000 Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/rss.html Haggis avery@business-humanrights.org avery@business-humanrights.org http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001863 Bangladesh has implemented an almost twofold rise in the minimum wage for its garment industry in a bid to end months of unrest by workers who produce clothes for leading western brands such as like Marks & Spencer, H&M and Wal-Mart…However, the new wage falls well short of the $75 per month that workers are demanding and it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to end a spate of labour unrest…Bangladeshi garment workers have grown restive recently, taking to the streets in protest at wages they say are too low to ensure even their basic survival…Union leaders who sat on the committee said the new pay rate was intended to meet workers’ needs while ensuring Bangladesh remained competitive in the world market. But other labour leaders have denounced the move and threatened fresh industrial action. Unions and charities such as ActionAid have calculated that a living wage in Bangladesh of about $150 per month would be needed to allow garment workers, who are mostly women, to afford nutritious food, health and education for their families. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001863 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001511 Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a lawsuit against Bank of America Corp.’s Countrywide unit claiming the...mortgage lender steered minority borrowers into risky subprime mortgages more than it did white borrowers who were similarly situated...Minority borrowers also paid more than other borrowers..., Madigan said. “Countrywide’s illegal discriminatory lending practices destroyed the wealth and dreams of thousands of African American and Latino homeowners,” Madigan said in the statement. “Bank of America needs to be held accountable by taking financial responsibility for cleaning up the devastation of the predatory company that it chose to take over.” The case is the People of the State of Illinois v. Countrywide, 10CH27929, Circuit Court of Cook County, Chancery Division... Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001511 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001871 Los presidentes de Argentina, Cristina Kirchner, y de Uruguay, José Mujica, acordaron ayer la implementación del monitoreo ambiental conjunto en la planta de la pastera UPM (ex Botnia) y en el Río Uruguay –como lo establecía el fallo de la corte de La Haya– y también en establecimientos industriales, agrícolas y centros urbanos que vuelquen efluentes al río...el primero [monitoreo] se hará en la desembocadura del río Gualeguaychú en el Río Uruguay y en las instalaciones de la pastera finlandesa. Con este acuerdo, Cristina y Mujica intentarán cerrar el conflicto ambiental...En el acuerdo, Argentina logró incluir el monitoreo dentro de la planta de UPM... Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001871 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001885 The oil industry has been responsible for thousands of fires, explosions, and leaks over the last decade, killing dozens of people and destroying wildlife and the environment across America, according to a report published today. None of the individual incidents catalogued by the National Wildlife Federation comes close in scale to BP's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the worst environmental disaster in America's history. But the thousands of lesser offshore spills, pipeline leaks, refinery fires and other accidents demolish the industry argument that BP's ruptured well was a one-off, and that the oil and gas business has grown safer, the report's authors said. [refers to BP, Enbridge] Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001885 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001879 The first personal injury lawsuit involving the chemical dispersant Corexit 9500 has surfaced in Alabama…In Wright v. BP…the plaintiffs claim BP has dumped millions of gallons of toxic chemicals into the Gulf of Mexico to disperse…crude oil… The plaintiffs allege that one method by which the company has applied Corexit 9500 -- spraying it from airplanes in the middle of the night -- has caused Gulf Coast residents to suffer breathing and gastrointestinal problems, as well as property damage. The lawsuit also names Nalco, which manufactures Corexit 9500...The personal injury suit comes one month after a group of Louisiana oystermen filed a federal class action against BP and Nalco… Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001879 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001870 The Government was facing mounting anger from business groups over plans to phase out the so-called default retirement age (DRA) of 65 by October next year. But after studying the details of the announcement, the country's leading business groups criticised the move, warning that the timescale will give companies little time to prepare...The Engineering Employers Federation (EEF)...told ministers that the change could lead to an increase in employment tribunal claims from older employees who believe they have been unfairly forced to leave their job. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001870 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001875 A recent spate of stories focusing on electronics companies with manufacturing operations in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have highlighted poor labour standards and reputational risks relevant to all multinational corporations with subsidiaries and supply chains in China…"China is rated extreme risk in Maplecroft's Working Conditions Index…" said Maplecroft labour rights expert, Monique Bianchi…Maplecroft's 'Labour Standards Report - China' contains in-depth analysis for all major labour issues including: working hours, compensation, health and safety, freedom of association, labour contracts, discrimination, migrant workers, forced labour and child labour…[Also refers to Apple, Dell, Foxconn (part of Hon Hai), HP, IBM, KYE systems, Lenovo, Meitai Plastic and Electronic, Microsoft] Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001875 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001883 The police violently broke up the protest demonstration against Russian VTB bank held by Teghout supporters...The Chairman of Greens Union...was injured...Teghout supporters demand from VTB to stop financing anti-environmental...project in Teghout...VTB intends to grant АССР Company nearly 300 million USD for developing Teghout copper and molybdenum mine...environmentally hazardous buildings are constructed...Before applying to VTB, АССР Company applied to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), but their application was rejected...Demonstrators demanded meeting with VTB leaders...[N]one of company management appeared... Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001883 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001868 A team of federal investigators known as the "BP squad" is assembling...to conduct a wide-ranging criminal probe that will focus on at least three companies and examine whether their cozy relations with federal regulators contributed to the oil disaster...Scott Dean, a spokesman for…BP, said the company "will cooperate with any inquiry the Justice Department undertakes, just as we are doing in response to other inquiries that are ongoing."…Although lawyers familiar with the case expect that environmental-related charges -- which have a low burden of proof -- will be filed, some doubted that investigators can prove more serious violations such as lying or falsifying test results…The official said that no decisions on criminal charges are imminent [also refers to Transocean, Halliburton] Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001868 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001851 In April, 2010, Christian Brothers Investment Services (CBIS)...and 300 investors and faith-based organizations signed a letter...that was sent to major hotels with chains in South Africa to learn about actions being taken to combat human trafficking in advance of The World Cup...Hotels that received the letter were: Accor (brands include Formule1, Mercure, Motel6, Sofitel); Best Western; Carlson (brands include Radisson, Country Inn & Suites – and the company is majority shareholder of The Rezidor Hotel Group, which operates in South Africa); Hilton; Hyatt...; InterContinental (brands include Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza; NH Hoteles; Starwood (brands include Westin and Sheraton)...The points below highlight the major findings and provide recommendations based on CBIS’ review of the hotels’ responses, policies and programs to address human trafficking in South Africa and around the world... Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001851 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001837 Many people around the world still criticize large companies for doing more harm than good in emerging markets…Three studies on Unilever’s operations in developing countries help us understand how companies have an impact on the local economy...What can we learn from these studies? Although the three reports are different in nature…these studies suggests similarly that business does play a vital role in…helping to accelerate social and economic development and improving livelihoods in a country...If done properly, the benefits can outweigh the harm easily...Unilever feels that their businesses can only prosper and flourish if they are part of healthy, stable communities. [Also refers to Heineken, Vodafone, Coca Cola, Pepsico, adidas] Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001837 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001836 Discrimination and other human rights abuses are a major barrier to dealing with HIV/AIDS in Asia…[B]usinesses…have a role to play in ensuring that there is no discrimination in the workplace, promoting diversity and respect…The private sector should lead by example, making it clear that it will not discriminate on the basis of personal characteristics and supporting the human rights of minority groups that it may employ or influence. There is a role for the private sector is tackling stigmatization…Moreover, there is an important role that business can play in both educating their own staff about HIV and other aspects of public health… Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001836 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001833 "A fisher[man] who can no longer eat the fish he catches because the water has been polluted...may not know that access to safe and nutritious food is actually a human right..."... Before the recent...Deepwater Horizon [disaster]..., one could assume that no BP executive imagined that our "fisherman" with the inedible catch might be an American... BP's leadership...[has] performed many human-rights impact assessments (HRIAs) in other parts of the world... How, then, did BP executives fail to grasp the human-rights implications of drilling activities in the Gulf?... The first [possible explanation] is that BP executives deliberately risked disaster for profit. The second is that BP inadvertently failed to perform a thorough risk assessment... In part, it appears that BP's executives shared the view of many in the western business world that human-rights issues are relevant to ventures in "third world," "frontier" or underdeveloped countries... BP and other major oil companies did limited environmental assessments...[but they] failed to identify the [human rights] consequences of a disaster... [An] HRIA incorporates interaction with "rights holders"... Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001833 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001831 Vedanta today dismissed as "incorrect" an Amnesty International report that accused the firm of human rights abuses and damaging the environment. Chief executive MS Mehta claimed Amnesty had "jumped to the wrong conclusions" and that Vedanta was "very strong on sustainable development"…Critics…claim the company has ridden roughshod over the rights of the Dongria Kondh tribe, evicting people without compensation and building an alumina refinery that has leaked effluent into local rivers…[They] oppose its plans to construct a bauxite mine in Orissa's Niyamgiri hills, considered "sacred" by the Kondh…Vedanta says it has improved health and education in Orissa…[and] it is "a myth" that the Kondh will become extinct if an area of the hills is cleared for a new mine. Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/1001831