Copy
Working with everyone to advance human rights in business.
View this email in your browser

Weekly Update - 31 December 2014

Lead Story
NGOs and politicians decry Luxembourg's plan to prosecute whistleblower who exposed large-scale tax avoidance

Guardian (UK)

  • Documents exposed tax rulings secured by PricewaterhouseCoopers that allow aggressive tax avoidance by business; open letter calls for whistleblower not to be prosecuted - Global Witness, Transparency Intl., Business & Human Rights Resource Centre amongst signatories


photo: International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
International
Africa
Americas
Asia & Pacific
Europe & Central Asia
Middle East & North Africa
Announcements
Events
Jobs
Español
Français

 
Forward
Share
Tweet
Share
International
Quarterly Bulletin on Corporate Legal Accountability

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

  • "A new path to access remedy?" highlights cases with International Criminal Court
  • bulletin includes new profiles of lawsuits against Nevsun (re Bisha mine, Eritrea) and Juren Academy (re gender discrimination in China); updates of existing cases
UK members of Parliament criticise mining companies for using forced labour in collusion with Eritrean Govt.

Guardian (UK)


NGO files complaint against Switzerland before European Court of Human Rights over killing of Colombian unionist who had worked for Nestlé

European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR)

  • case profile also provided; with comment by Nestlé, which denies the allegations
Chemical Footprint Project to benchmark companies' progress toward safe use of chemicals

Trillium Asset Management; Boston Common Asset Management; Investor Environmental Health Network

Africa
Nigeria: NGO alleges Shell "hijacked" implementation of UN Environment Programme oil spill report

Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria

  • we invited Shell to respond; response provided
Malawi: BBC investigation alleges villagers are losing their land to sugar growers
  • includes statement by sugar company Illovo
Kenya: Tullow Oil donates borehole - over 5000 residents to access water without charge

Standard Digital (Kenya)

Americas
Colombia: Union workers with security company Prosegur allege harassment, unfair dismissal

UNI Global Union

  • we invited Prosegur to respond; response provided (in Spanish only)
Peru: Indigenous Matsés condemn lack of consultation on licenses granted to Pacific Rubiales Energy, say they are prepared "to fight if firms enter their territories"; includes company comments

Earth First Journal and Popular Resistance


YouTube CEO: "America needs paid maternity leave"

Time


Brazil: Ministry of Labour finds serious abuses in call centres of major banks & telecommunication firms Oi, Vivo, Santander, Itaú, NET, Citibank, Bradesco; includes companies' comments (only in Portuguese)

Repórter Brasil

Asia & Pacific
Investigation into Apple supply chain reveals poor working conditions in Chinese factories & illegal Indonesian tin mines; includes company comments - BBC Panorama secret video available

BBC; Independent


Report uncovers wage theft of migrants from Myanmar working in Thai apparel industry

Clean Clothes Campaign; MAP Foundation


India: Clinical trials continue to cause concern - at least 370 deaths reported since Feb 2013

Hindustan Times; Times of India; Press Trust of India; Times News Network; pharmabiz.com; Economic Times


Myanmar: Renewed violence at Letpadaung mine leaves 1 dead, dozens injured

Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability; Irrawaddy (Myanmar); New York Times


Business investment in Tibet: Paper calls for socially-responsible approach

Chris Fletcher, in Yale Human Rights & Development Law Journal

Europe & Central Asia
UK: Migrant workers rescued from slave-like conditions at Iqbal Bros factory - paid less than £2 an hour for 80 hours a week

Associated Press; BBC


Poland: Microsoft holds roundtable with business & govt. on implementation of UN Guiding Principles

Microsoft


Bulgaria: 1 killed, 3 injured in explosion at ammunition factory owned by Vertex

Novinite (Bulgaria)

Middle East & North Africa
Pollution from Israeli 'Gishouri' factory allegedly causing serious harm to Palestinians' health

Palestine News Network


Qatar migrant workers paid to be sports "fans"

AlArabiya (UAE)

Company responses Non-responses
Announcements
Intl. Bar Association launches public consultation on its draft business & human rights guidance - deadline for comments 1 March 2015

US Govt. invites input to its National Action Plan on business & human rights - deadline for written submissions 15 Jan
Events
Forthcoming events:
  • event on challenges & opportunities for business after human rights impact assessments (London, 4 Feb)
  • final EJOLT Conference: "Building the Road to Environmental Justice" (Brussels, 3 Mar)
  • responsible sourcing summit (West Hollywood, 3-4 Mar)
  • capacity building workshops on business & human rights (Aarhus, 9-10 Mar)
  • seminar on ethical sourcing (New York, 26-27 Mar)
Details of these and other events further in the future can be found here.  Please send relevant event information to Eniko Horvath: horvath@business-humanrights.org 
Jobs
Further details and other recently posted jobs available here.  Please send job announcements to Elodie Aba: aba@business-humanrights.org
Español
Colombia: Sindicatos denuncian supuestos abusos contra líderes sindicales por empresa de seguridad Prosegur

UNI Global Union

  • Nosotros invitamos a Prosegur a responder; la respuesta está disponible
Por no investigar asesinato de sindicalista colombiano de Nestlé, demandan a Suiza ante tribunal europeo de derechos humanos - incluye comentarios de Nestlé

Verdad Abierta (Colombia)

Nuevo Boletín Trimestral de Responsabilidad Legal Empresarial

Centro de Información sobre Empresas y Derechos Humanos

  • Incluye nuevos perfiles de demandas judiciales contra Nevsun (Mina Bisha, Eritrea) y contra Juren Academy (discriminación laboral por razones de género en China)
  • Últimas actualizaciones de demandas judiciales en todo el mundo, incluyendo contra Drummond, Occidental y Shell
Nueva herramienta para evaluar los impactos de proyectos de inversión en los derechos humanos

PODER (México)


Cumbre Mundial sobre Cambio Climático en Perú no alcanza resultados esperados sobre derechos humanos y medio ambiente, dicen organizaciones de la sociedad civil

Oilwatch; Conferencia de la Juventud; IPS

  • Acciones realizadas durante el evento destacaron los vínculos entre derechos humanos y el derecho a un ambiente sano, y el rol de las empresas en ello
Colombia: Gobierno excluye actividad minera de 76% del páramo de Santurbán - ONGs y mineras se pronuncian

El Tiempo; Comité por la Defensa del Agua y el Páramo de Santurbán; AIDA; CIEL; SOMO; MiningWatch Canadá; Vanguardia


Críticas en España a software de Entelo que hace perfil de candidatos a empleos por posible discriminación

Expansión.com (España)


Colombia: Después de desalojo, campesinos hacen llamado al gobierno para que defienda sus territorios y acceso al agua frente a licencia minera otorgada a Invercoal

Corporación Compromiso y otras organizaciones de la sociedad civil

Français
Burkina Faso : La société civile et les compagnies minières se penchent sur la question de l'emploi dans les zones minières

Lefaso.net (Burkina Faso)


Une ONG porte plainte contre la Suisse devant la CEDH au sujet de l’assassinat d’un syndicaliste colombien travaillant pour Nestlé

European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) ; ATS (Agence télégraphique suisse)

Le président du comité national ITIE-Sénégal invite les industries extractives à plus de transparence

Agence de Presse Sénégalaise


Sénégal : L'orpaillage met en péril l'environnement dans la région minière de Kédougou

Le Solei (Sénégal)


Dernier numéro du Bulletin trimestriel sur la responsabilité juridique des entreprises

Centre de Ressources sur les Entreprises et les Droits de l'homme

  • Avec des nouveaux résumés de procès contre Nevsun (concernant la mine de Bisha, Érythrée) et contre Juren Academy (concernant discrimination dans l'emploi en Chine)
  • Derniers développements dans les procès, y compris contre Eternit, Shell et Pfizer
France : La discrimination syndicale existe encore dans beaucoup d'entreprises, selon une étude

L'Express (France)


Metalor est le 1er gros affineur d'or à obtenir le label Fairmined pour l'exploitation responsable et la traçabilité

Arcinfo (Suisse)


Russie : Des ONG s’inquiètent des risques sanitaires d’une proposition de loi qui autoriserait le rejet des eaux usées des usines dans des sources d’eau potable

Novethic (France)

DISCLAIMER:
We take no position on views by commentators, organizations & companies in the materials in this email: http://business-humanrights.org/en/about-us/disclaimer
Copyright © 2014 Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, All rights reserved.


unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences