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  Health issues: July-Aug. 2002  

See also other materials on "Health issues"

July-Aug. 2002:

Ecology opens for business [World Summit on Sustainable Development] -...Sir Mark [Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, former chairman of Shell who now heads Business Action for Sustainable Development] is lobbying for global leaders to disregard calls by NGOs to introduce multilateral rules governing business conduct. "The summit is taking place just as massive corporate scandals are undermining economic growth and confidence throughout the world. There is widespread recognition that self-regulation has failed," says Daniel Graymore, a campaigner for Christian Aid, the UK charity. Sir Mark concedes that greater corporate accountability is needed. But he argues that standards for business should be enforced at a national rather than global level...while some NGOs remain openly hostile to business, others are keen to work with it. BASD is promoting 230 partnerships between business and NGOs at the summit. They include the secondment of staff from HSBC, the banking group, to Earthwatch environmental projects, carmaker Fiat's development of gas-powered cars and the treatment of sleeping sickness in Africa by Aventis, the pharmaceuticals group. (James Lamont & John Mason, Financial Times, 31 Aug. 2002) 

Bayer Found Responsible for Poisoning of Children in Peru - After a nine-month investigation, a Peruvian Congressional Subcommittee has found significant evidence of criminal responsibility by both the agrochemical company Bayer and the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture in the poisoning of 42 children in the remote Andean village of Tauccamarca in October 1999. The children were stricken after eating a school breakfast contaminated with the organophosphate pesticide methyl parathion. (Pesticide Action Network, 30 Aug. 2002)

US blocks move to give powers to those threatened by multinationals: Poor countries seek redress over firms' damage - The United States is blocking human, environmental and freedom of information rights from being enshrined in the earth summit's plan of action in order to protect multinational companies from litigation and protests by the poor. The EU and developing countries such as Thailand, Uganda and Indonesia believe that giving communities the right to take on companies that pollute their environment and damage their health is fundamental to the aims of the summit. (Paul Brown, Guardian [UK], 29 Aug. 2002)

UN to focus on corporate help to fight Aids - The United Nations has abandoned its policy of relying on governments to tackle the HIV/Aids crisis in the developing world, saying it would now help fund corporate initiatives to provide anti-retroviral drugs to sufferers...Richard Holbrooke, president of the Global Business Coalition on Aids, a grouping of 75 international companies, and former US ambassador to the UN, said the policy change was "an important step in the right direction". He said: "If Anglo American and De Beers take leadership, it will pressure other companies to take similar steps. It will finally get corporations to take up their role in the process [to fight HIV/Aids]. Up to now, business has been doing less than 10 per cent of what they should have done." (James Lamont, Financial Times, 29 Aug. 2002)

India: Court Upholds Charges Against US Executive for Bhopal Deaths - A court ruled that a former chairman of US-based Union Carbide should face culpable homicide charges over the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster, rejecting the Indian government's attempt to dilute them to negligence. (Agence France Presse, 28 Aug. 2002)

Business: Sir Mark Moody-Stuart [former Chairman of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group & head of the main industry lobby group at the World Summit for Sustainable Development] Helps Corporations With High Visibility at Johannesburg Summit - "There is a great deal of mutual distrust, which we have to get over," said Moody-Stuart in an exclusive interview with The Earth Times. "We believe in good international governance for issues like climate change and trade. It is a myth that we are not in favour of regulation."...Moody-Stuart has come to this summit with proposals of over one hundred such partnerships between corporations, non-governmental organizations and governments. One such partnership is a project between Merck & Co., GlaxoSmithKline, UNICEF, World Bank to improve access to AIDS care in the hardest-hit regions of the world. (Preeti Dawra, Earth Times, 28 Aug. 2002)

Chinese activists take to the courts: Nascent 'green culture' is challenging authorities - and being heard - In the three years since he set up an environmental hotline, Wang Canfa [Director of the Beijing-based Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims] has heard thousands of heartbreaking horror stories from people who have seen their health or livelihoods imperiled by industrial pollution. (Ted Plafker, International Herald Tribune, 28 Aug. 2002)

Kentucky Bourbon King Faces Government Hearing On Denial Of Bathroom Access [USA] - Mothers, Menstruating Women and Older Workers Bear the Brunt of Jim Beams Bathroom Ban - Rally to Support Jim Beam Workers Noon, August 28 Shepherdsville, Kentucky - Almost half the workers, mostly women, on the Jim Beam bottling line in Clermont, Kentucky have been disciplined for using the bathroom, and some long time workers are even facing firing. According to worker reports, they were told to "train their bladders" to correspond to scheduled break periods and one unscheduled bathroom time; or face discipline, including dismissal. (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 27 Aug. 2002)

The world's business [regarding business community and the World Summit on Sustainable Development] -...All of which is to say that pressing corporations to contribute more toward their host societies increasingly makes sense. Many executives understand that managing a global company requires a plan for global solutions: AIDS will devastate workers; income inequality will suppress the customer base; global warming, deforestation, and poor infrastructure threaten devastation - financial and human alike. A group called Business Action for Social Development, headed by the former chairman of Royal Dutch/Shell, will have a large presence at the summit. (editorial, Boston Globe, 25 Aug. 2002)

UN says earth summit will focus on Aids -...The focus on HIV/Aids is likely to open the debate on the affordability of anti-retroviral drugs...The debate on HIV/Aids is likely to involve the corporate sector, which is represented at the summit by 50 chief executives of multinational companies. (James Lamont, Financial Times, 25 Aug. 2002)

BP accused of taking staff safety risks - BP, a company that takes pride in its record of corporate responsibility, has been accused by some of its workers of taking risks with their safety following last week's Alaskan well explosion. (Sheila McNulty, Financial Times, 25 Aug. 2002)

Authorities in Alaska probe BP site blast [USA] - Alaskan authorities were yesterday investigating an explosion at BP's operation in the state, which seriously injured an operator and caused a spill that might jeopardise the terms of the company's federal probation with US authorities. (Sheila McNulty, Financial Times, 24 Aug. 2002)

CSR Trainings - Human Rights Trainings - Shenzhen, China - Two-Day Workshop on Labor Practices and CSR - Shenzhen, China, October 24-25, 2002: This workshop will provide participants with an opportunity to learn effective ways to: build better factory management systems, and strengthen compliance with codes of conduct and legal requirements on issues including: wages, and working hours; health and safety; child labor; forced labor; and other labor issues. (Business for Social Responsibility) [posted on this site 23 Aug. 2002]

CSR Trainings - Human Rights Trainings - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Two-Day Workshop on Labor Practices and CSR - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, September 24-25, 2002: This workshop will provide participants with an opportunity to learn effective ways to: build better factory management systems, and strengthen compliance with codes of conduct and legal requirements on issues including: wages, and working hours; health and safety; child labor; forced labor; and other labor issues. (Business for Social Responsibility) [posted on this site 23 Aug. 2002]

Residents gasp for air in smoky Indonesian Borneo - Choking smoke from forest fires and slash-and-burn land clearing in Indonesia has sent scores of people to hospitals, closed schools and delayed flights yesterday...Officials said most of the smoke came from plantations that clear their land using slash-and-burn practices. (Reuters, 23 Aug. 2002) 

WHO sees risk unlikely from gene-altered foods - The World Health Organisation restated yesterday it was "unlikely" genetically-modified foods posed a hazard to humans, but denied it had called crisis talks in Africa to allay fears about food aid containing GM. (Reuters, 23 Aug. 2002) 

TRADE: New Study Examines How WTO Agreements Affect Public Health - Public health must be taken into consideration in the drafting of trade rules, according to a joint study released today by the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization...The 171-page study, WTO Agreements and Public Health, says nations should be able to restrict imports and exports when the health of its people or wildlife is affected. It examines issues including infectious disease control, food safety, tobacco, environment, access to drugs, health services, food security and biotechnology. (UN Wire, 22 Aug. 2002)

Zim firms dither as AIDS menace worsens - Zimbabwe's commercial and industrial sector lags behind its counterparts in South Africa in energetically tackling the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which threatens to decimate at least 25 percent of Zimbabwe's productive age. (Nqobile Nyathi, Financial Gazette [Zimbabwe], 22 Aug. 2002)

Asbestos: jobs, profits and sustainable development - A hideous blue spectre hovers behind the cleaner, greener image being promoted on the eve of the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD). It is the spectre of asbestos, a legacy of a greed-driven and uncaring past. (Terry Bell, Labour News Network, 22 Aug. 2002)

AGRICULTURE: Factory Farming Causes Poverty, Disease, NGO Says - The spread of large-scale factory farms to the developing world threatens to increase poverty and livestock-related disease, Compassion in World Farming said in a report released yesterday. (UN Wire, 21 Aug. 2002)

On the Explosion at Liupanshui Coal Mine in Guizhou Province [China] (China Labour Bulletin, 21 Aug. 2002)

Amazon Indians lose appeal of Texaco case ruling - Rainforest Indians of Ecuador and Peru have lost an appeal aimed at reinstating nine-year-old litigation against Texaco, alleging that toxic dumping devastated their environment and exposed residents to cancer-causing pollutants. The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday affirmed a trial court's ruling dismissing two class-action lawsuits on grounds that the United States was not the proper place for the litigation, and that Ecuador would be a more convenient location. (Gail Appleson, Reuters, 21 Aug. 2002)

Bapco safety record [Bahrain] - Bapco yesterday achieved a safety record of four million man hours worked without a lost-time accident...Six key factors have contributed to the refinery's enhanced safety record (Richard Moore, Gulf Daily News [Bahrain], 21 Aug. 2002)

Firm fined for chopped finger [New Zealand] - A Hamilton firm was fined $4800 yesterday after a young worker had part of a finger chopped off by a chocolate-making machine. (New Zealand Herald, 21 Aug. 2002)

Lenasia fire: Trial postponed [South Africa] - The trial of ESS Chemicals factory owner Suleman "Solly" Lachporia and his manager was on Tuesday postponed to November in the Lenasia regional court. They face a main charge of culpable homicide relating to the death of 11 employees including the supervisor who were killed while on night shift in Lachporia's factory in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, in November 2000 when a fire swept through the premises in which they were locked. (South African Press Association, 20 Aug. 2002)

DRUGS: Nonprofit Manufacturer Seeks To Fill Gaps - The San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday on the world's first nonprofit pharmaceutical firm, the Institute for OneWorld Health, which is leading the development, testing and production of drugs to fight diseases that threaten millions in Asia and Latin America. Many of the drugs have been abandoned by commercial firms because they lack significant profit potential. (UN Wire, 20 Aug. 2002)

Big business escapes rap in negligence trials [UK] - Prosecutions for work- related deaths have increased significantly in the last four years, according to new research. But convictions remain rare, with bigger businesses in particular appearing immune to liability for corporate manslaughter. (Jean Eaglesham, Financial Times, 20 Aug. 2002)

Australia "a renegade" on environment, says report - Australia is a laggard and renegade state when it comes to protecting the environment and is going backwards on every indicator of environmental health, from pollution to land clearing, a new report shows. (Michael Christie, Reuters, 20 Aug. 2002)

No easy money for nuclear-weapons workers' ills [USA] - Families of the deceased or injured must show that they are eligible for compensation....If his children can show he got sick from his job, a new federal program will pay them $150,000. (Tom Avril, Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 Aug. 2002)

Spotlight on corporates reveals need for global rules - Some corporations continue to abuse the rights of people, destroy the livelihoods of communities, and pollute water and forest resources for future generations, according to a new report by Friends of the Earth International published today. The report graphically illustrates the need for governments to agree to introduce tighter rules for multinationals at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg. (Friends of the Earth, 16 Aug. 2002)

includes section entitled "Towards binding corporate accountability"

also includes the following case studies:

  1. Peru: Manhattan Minerals (Tambogrande gold mine)
  2. Malaysia: Malaysian timber companies (logging in Sarawak - affecting indigenous peoples)
  3. South Africa: Sasol, Total, Dow Chemicals (pollution of poor communities)
  4. Russia/Lithuania: Lukoil (Baltic sea drilling)
  5. Papua New Guinea: BHP Billiton (OK Tedi mine)
  6. Chad/Cameroon: ExxonMobil, Chevron, Petronas (Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline)
  7. Ecuador: AGIP, Alberta Energy, Occidental Petroleum, Perez Companc, Repsol-YPF, Techint (oil pipeline, affecting indigenous peoples)
  8. Czech Republic: Ford, Nemak (car plant on agricultural land)
  9. Nigeria: Shell (environmental justice issues in Niger Delta)
  10. Chile: Noranda (aluminium plant)
  11. Worldwide: Aventis, Monsanto (genetically modified food)
  12. Colombia: Occidental Petroleum (oil extraction on land of U'wa people)
  13. Australia: Barrick Gold (gold mine, affecting indigenous peoples)
  14. Brazil: Petrobas, El Paso Energy (gas pipeline, affecting indigenous peoples)
  15. Indonesia: Asia Pulp & Paper (logging of rainforests)
  16. Chile: Nutreco (salmon farms)
  17. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey: BP (Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline)
  18. Malta: Ax Holdings, Carlson Companies, Regent Hotels (golf course on agricultural land)
  19. Australia: Nihon Unipac (clearcutting Goolengook Forest)
  20. Norway: Bayer, Monsanto, Kanegafuchi (Norwegian sea pollution)
  21. Indonesia: Rio Tinto (gold mine, affecting indigenous peoples)
  22. UK: Scott's Company (peat extraction for compost)

HIV/AIDS: South African Exchange May Require Company Infection Rate Lists - Responding to investor concern about the potential impact of HIV/AIDS on South Africa's economy during the next 10 to 15 years, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange is considering a proposal that would require its listed companies to report infection rates among their employees and detail their efforts to fight the disease, the Financial Times reports today. (UN Wire, 15 Aug. 2002)

Johannesburg Summit: A New Framework for Business Engagement -...Business could and should be a strong partner in safeguarding the environment, reducing poverty, raising education standards and improving health...But business today, following the collapse of Enron and other corporate scandals of fraud and greed, is losing its credibility as a trustworthy partner. (Klaus Schwab, President of the World Economic Forum, on Earth Times website, 15 Aug. 2002)

Clampdown on exploitative employers [South Africa]: There is concern that the labour department cannot sustain blitz campaign Labour Correspondent - Three months after signing an occupational safety and health accord with business and labour, government has undertaken an aggressive drive to clamp down on businesses and factories that do not comply with the legislation (Business Day [South Africa], 15 Aug. 2002)

What Value Is A Workers' Life? [New Zealand] - Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson slammed insignificant fines which undervalue workers’ lives today. Ross Wilson said the $30,000 fine against Crusader Meats for failing to keep a worker safe earlier this year was woefully inadequate. (New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, 15 Aug. 2002)

Gold Fields urges workers to test for HIV [South Africa] - Gold Fields chief executive Ian Cockerill turned guinea pig yesterday when he and several union leaders volunteered for an HIV/Aids test at the company's Driefontein mine. Cockerill's test...was the curtain-raiser to the launch of Gold Fields' Informed, Consented, Voluntary Counselling and Testing and wellness management programme for employees. (Andrew Davidson, Business Report [South Africa], 14 Aug. 2002)

Worker compensated for illegal overtime [UK] - A 51-year-old woman has been awarded compensation for working an average of 71 hours a week in a newsagent's shop...It is believed to be the first time a UK company has been prosecuted for breaking the European Union's 48-hour working week rule. (BBC News, 14 Aug. 2002)

CorpWatch India Responds to Coca Cola -...To reiterate facts, in Plachimada, Kerala, your Indian subsidiary -- Hindustan Coca Cola -- has been charged with excessive extraction of groundwater, contamination of groundwater and parching of the wells and groundwater sources supplying a large community of farmers, adivasis (indigenous people) and dalits (oppressed castes). (CorpWatch India, 13 Aug. 2002)

Gay Labor Goes Global in Australia - Some 300 gay labor activists from 25 countries are expected to attend the Workers Out! World Conference of Lesbian and Gay Trade Unionists in Sydney, Australia...We'll be discussing ways to integrate defense of lgbt rights into the human rights programs of national and international trade union structures — the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions adopted a resolution opposing discrimination on grounds of sexuality in 2000...Another priority is implementing workplace policies on HIV and other chronic diseases, along with enabling access to anti-retroviral medicines. In particular, we're pressuring leading transnational employers to buy generic anti-HIV drugs for their employees in the Pacific, Latin America, Africa and Asia. (The Gully, 13 Aug. 2002)

Asian smog cloud threatens millions, says UN - A three-km (two-mile) thick cloud of pollution shrouding southern Asia is threatening the lives of millions of people in the region and could have an impact much further afield, according to a United Nations-sponsored study. (Jeremy Lovell, Reuters, 13 Aug. 2002)

NORTH AMERICA: U.S., Canada Exporting Environmental Harm, UNEP Says - The U.N. Environment Program's North American office and the World Resources Institute released a new report today, two weeks ahead of the opening of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, in which they take the United States and Canada to task for exporting environmental degradation to the rest of the planet. (Joe Fiorill, UN Wire, 13 Aug. 2002)

Chinese mine blast kills 10 (BBC News, 13 Aug. 2002)

Maritime workers' rights will no longer be lost at sea [South Africa] (Mokgadi Pela, Business Report [South Africa], 13 Aug. 2002)

Firms fined after workplace accident [New Zealand] - Two Christchurch companies [Jenkins Biolabs & Soiltech Limited] were yesterday fined $20,000 after a factory worker was severely burnt when he slipped while pouring concentrated sulphuric acid into a vat. (The Press [New Zealand], 13 Aug. 2002)

HIV/AIDS: De Beers Announces Plan To Provide Access To Treatment - De Beers will provide access to anti-retroviral treatment worldwide for employees and their spouses or partners as part of anti-HIV/AIDS efforts, the company said today. (UN Wire, 12 Aug. 2002)

CHEMICALS: U.N. Urges Research On Endocrine Disrupters - Concerted international research is needed to determine whether endocrine-disrupting chemicals threaten human health, the United Nations said today in a new report. The chemicals have been linked to "gender-bending" in wildlife, notably physical and behavioral gender changes in fish downstream from pulp and paper mills. (UN Wire, 12 Aug. 2002)

Women who toiled in Eveleth Mines waited two decades for justice [USA] - Lois Jenson drove through three feet of snow to begin her new job at the Eveleth Mines on March 25, 1975...She never dreamed that her name would eventually be on the nation's first sexual-harassment class-action lawsuit (Mary Ann Grossmann, Knight Ridder, 11 Aug. 2002)

Dominican Republic - Trafficking of Haitian Children -...Many children go to the Dominican Republic for a few months and then return, but some decide to stay there permanently, joining the ranks of a large informal sector of low-wage farm workers. They live under extremely precarious conditions, in terms of housing and food, and because of their age and illegal status are prone to physical and verbal abuse. (International Office for Migration, 9 Aug. 2002)

Ammonia leak sickens 20 [Trinidad & Tobago] - Twenty employees of Barana Seafood Processors Limited were rushed to the Port of Spain General Hospital yesterday morning after a ruptured line leaked ammonia throughout the Sea Lots facility. (Sateesh Maharaj, Trinidad Express, 9 Aug. 2002)

State high court rejects appeal by Boeing in hearing-loss case [USA] - Employers cannot reduce a disability award for job-related hearing loss because people of the worker's age generally suffer from age-related deafness, the Washington Supreme Court ruled yesterday. The case involved two Boeing workers who worked with riveting equipment, stamping presses and other loud machinery at the company's Renton plant for decades. (Associated Press, 9 Aug. 2002)

Latest twists and turns on Autotrim/Customtrim NAFTA case - Workers at the Autotrim and Customtrin/Breed Mexicana plants in Mexico who filed a workplace health and safety complaint under the NAFTA "labor side agreement" have blasted attempts by the Mexican and U.S. governments to close out their complaint with the appointment of a government-to-government committee to discuss for the next three years why occupational health laws are not enforced in Mexico. (Maquiladora Health & Safety Support Network Newsletter, 8 Aug. 2002)

US judge directs United Airlines to hire, reimburse deaf mechanic - Five years of anger and frustration ended yesterday for a deaf airline mechanic when a federal judge ruled that United Airlines had papered over its discrimination with a flurry of sham reasons not to hire him. (Thanassis Cambanis, Boston Globe, 8 Aug. 2002)

TAC urges corporates to follow Anglo's lead [South Africa] - The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) yesterday urged the rest of corporate South Africa to follow Anglo American's lead and pay for the antiretroviral treatment of their HIV-positive employees. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 8 Aug. 2002)

Factories face prosecutions after raids [South Africa] - The Department of Labour will recommend prosecutions of certain factories in Johannesburg after raids carried out this week found contravention of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)...Zikalala said the department closed a Johannesburg textile factory last night after inspectors found that there were no emergency exits..."In another late night raid, labour inspectors discovered that the owners of Snaktaque, a peanut butter and ground corn chips manufacturer, had defied an earlier prohibition order shutting the factory down." (Thabang Mokopanele, Business Day [South Africa], 8 Aug. 2002)

Labour dept to swoop on sweatshops [South Africa] - Factory owners in KwaZulu-Natal were given a stern warning by the department of Labour on Wednesday to ensure that safe working conditions exist on their premises, or face departmental wrath...The warning follows a raid two months ago on sweatshops in several northern KwaZulu-Natal towns, including Newcastle and Ladysmith. (Natal Witness, 8 Aug. 2002)

Asbestos victims' wait drags on [South Africa] - UK company Cape plc is expected to make payment of its first £11m to the 7500 SA victims of asbestos-related disease on August 20, according to lawyers for the victims. Late last week, however, Cape plc was unable to give a date for payment of the first instalment. The company was originally due to make the payment at the end of June, but this was delayed due to a major financial restructuring exercise. (Business Day [South Africa], 8 Aug. 2002)

Bangladesh bans polluting three-wheelers - Bangladesh said on Wednesday it would ban three-wheeled vehicles with two-stroke engines on the streets of the capital Dhaka from next month to cut down on air pollution. (Reuters, 8 Aug. 2002) 

NAFTA panel says cannot rule on Methanex MTBE case [Canada/USA] - The case has been closely watched by green and civil rights groups who worried that Methanex's case - filed under NAFTA's Chapter 11 investor protection rules - was an example of how private companies can use the agreement to undermine government efforts to protect the environment. (Allan Dowd, Reuters, 8 Aug. 2002) 

The tale of two logos - a judge in the French High Court ruled Friday 2nd August that Greenpeace had a right to parody the logo of French nuclear fuel company, Areva, as part of its campaign to expose the company’s dirty nuclear activities...Areva's main subsidiary company, the plutonium reprocessing company COGEMA, has contaminated the seas around France, while Areva's parent body, the French Atomic Energy Commission has polluted Moruroa Atoll, France's former nuclear test site in the South Pacific (Greenpeace, 7 Aug. 2002)

Days of smoking in front bar numbered [Australia] - The smoker's front bar is under threat, with the State Government announcing plans for more limits on smoking. Health Minister Lea Stevens yesterday announced a taskforce to prepare for "strong tobacco-control legislation" but stopped short of using the word "ban". The taskforce has been charged with advising on ways to "protect staff and patrons from exposure to tobacco smoke" in hotels and gaming venues. (Jill Pengelley, Advertiser [Adelaide, South Australia], 7 Aug. 2002)

Campaign Promotes Smoke-Free Environments [USA] -...Prof. Glantz, a tobacco researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, yesterday announced a new Web site, "TobaccoScam," to counter what he calls a 20-year campaign by the tobacco industry to use the restaurant industry as a stalking horse to defeat anti-smoking rules. But Prof. Glantz's attempts to get restaurant trade magazines to accept ads for the site were not entirely successful...the publications changed their minds after Philip Morris sent e-mail messages asking whether they would be running the ads and suggesting that the company's own ad decisions would be affected by the answer. (John Schwartz, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2002)

Cosatu angry at 'slave' shops [South Africa] - The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the SA Communist Party (SACP) expressed outrage on Wednesday at the appalling working conditions some employees are facing at some Fordsburg, Johannesburg, factories. (South African Press Association, 7 Aug. 2002)

Mining Company to Offer H.I.V. Drugs to Employees - After more than a year of mixed signals, the mining company Anglo American P.L.C., which is confronted with a crushing AIDS burden in Africa, said today that it would begin supplying life-prolonging drugs to all its employees who are H.I.V. positive...The rates of H.I.V. infection among adults in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe — countries where Anglo operates — are among the highest in the world. (Henri E. Cauvin, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2002)

Fruit and vegetable pesticide 'risk' [UK] - Much of the fruit and vegetables in UK supermarkets contains potentially harmful pesticide residues, campaigners warn. The supermarket chain Somerfield chain came out worst in the Friends on the Earth study, which showed 60% of its fruit and vegetables contained the residues. [other supermarket chains covered: Morrison's, Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury, Tesco, Safeway, M&S] (BBC News, 7 Aug. 2002)

Lawyers Say Drug Makers Knew of Diluted Products [USA] - Internal documents show that two drug companies knew that a pharmacist was diluting cancer drugs as long as three years before his arrest, lawyers for patients said in a court motion filed on Monday. The motion said neither, Eli Lilly & Company nor the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company told the government of their discovery about the pharmacist, Robert Courtney, leading to untimely deaths for "countless cancer patients."...Judy Kay Moore, a spokeswoman for Eli Lilly, dismissed the new accusations, saying, "These plaintiffs' attorneys have cut and pasted, embellished and mischaracterized the documents and sworn testimony." Bristol-Myers did not return phone calls from The Associated Press for comment. (Associated Press, in New York Times, 7 Aug. 2002) 

More inspections coming - labour dept [South Africa] - The labour department warned factory owners on Tuesday it would continue to conduct searches of premises to check that conditions were safe for workers. (South African Press Association, 6 Aug. 2002)

Labour force under serious threat from HIV/Aids [Trinidad & Tobago] -...Christopher Land’Kazlaukas of the International Labour Organisation...told them that Trinidad still needed to come up to speed with its own laws, which “still did not define a precise offence” for sexual harassment. (Joannah Bharose, Trinidad Express, 6 Aug. 2002)

Bush praises coal miners; union slams safety stance [USA] - Even as President Bush met yesterday with nine Pennsylvania coal miners whose stunning rescue July 28 from a flooded mine captivated the nation, union officials and Democrats criticized Bush for undercutting mine-safety initiatives with his budget ax. (Bob Kemper, Chicago Tribune, in Seattle Times, 6 Aug. 2002)

World soccer stars play against HIV/AIDS - Real Madrid C.F. will play A.S. Roma in a special international soccer match in the US to raise money for the global fight against HIV/AIDS...The United Nations and the independent Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will share part of the gate takings. (U.N. Development Programme, 6 Aug. 2002)

Let the Word Go Forth from Hershey, Pennsylvania That Americans Believe That Corporate Rights Come with Corporate Obligations -...I suggest 28 words be added to the duty of corporations to advance the interests of shareholders--28 words that will balance the pursuit of the corporation's private interest with obligations to the public interest. I call these words the Code for Corporate Citizenship. The Code would simply modify the duty to maximize profits with affirmative obligations that profits not come "at the expense of the environment, human rights, the public health or safety, the dignity of employees or the welfare of our communities." Companies that violate the Code would be legally liable to the members of the public whose interest is damaged. (Robert Hinkley, corporate lawyer, former partner in the New York law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, speech to Hershey Foods rally on 3 Aug. 2002, published on CommonDreams website 5 Aug. 2002)

Asbestosis victims wait for their millions [South Africa] - Mining company Cape plc is still unable to give a date for the payout of £11-million (about R175-million) in damages due to the 7 500 victims of asbestosis contracted from the company's mines in the Northern Cape. (Peter Fabricius, The Star [South Africa], 5 Aug. 2002)

Two Jo'burg factories shut down [South Africa] - Labour inspectors shut down two factories in Fordsburg, Johannesburg, on Monday because of unsafe working conditions and temporarily stopped operations at 10 other businesses in the area. The raid followed the screening of an investigative television programme (South African Press Association, 5 Aug. 2002)

Government Asked to Act on Teenagers' Job Safety [USA] - With nearly four million teenagers at work across the nation this summer, many health safety experts say it is time for the government to revise its 60-year-old list of jobs barred to young people because they are too dangerous...some pediatricians and children's advocates want the Bush administration to declare other work off limits, including construction and window washing. (Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2002)

19 trapped underground in north China mine fire (Xinhua, 5 Aug. 2002)

Poisoned Back Into Poverty - As China Embraces Capitalism, Hazards to Workers Rise - Unrestrained by labor unions or a strong legal system, businesses seeking to maximize profit have allowed job hazards to proliferate. China has adopted work safety rules, but enforcement is lax because local officials often can be bribed, and they are worried about chasing away factories that pay taxes important to their budgets. (Philip P. Pan, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2002)

Who is to blame if employees kill? [USA] - In aftermath of brutal slaying, Zapp family hopes to highlight the issue of background checks -...As crime victims increasingly try to hold companies accountable for the actions of their employees, they have a tough time proving their cases in court. (Michele Kurtz, Boston Globe, 4 Aug. 2002)

{···español} México saturado de desechos tóxicos - México está saturado de residuos tóxicos que amenazan la salud de millones de personas y, aunque el problema se agrava, no existen planes para enfrentarlo...Pero existen otras sustancias aún más peligrosas desechadas por la industria eléctrica y petrolera, así como por los hospitales y centros de salud (Diego Cevallos, Inter Press Service, 2 agosto 2002)

UNICEF: Coalition Calls On U.N. Agency To Cut Ties With McDonald's - An international coalition of academics and health officials called Wednesday for UNICEF to end its partnership with McDonald's, accusing the corporation of undermining U.N. efforts to promote healthy diets (UN Wire, 2 Aug. 2002)

BIODIVERSITY: New UNEP Report Warns Of Escalating Human Threat - The atlas also warns that one major drug is lost every two years given the current extinction rates for plants and animals, while less than 1 percent of the world's 250,000 tropical plants has been studied for potential pharmaceutical applications. (UN Wire, 2 Aug. 2002)

TOBACCO: Smuggling Conference Agrees On Goals, Not On Companies' Role - An international conference on tobacco smuggling ended yesterday with participants calling it a breakthrough in cooperation between law and health officials, but also with complaints that tobacco companies' presence at the forum was inappropriate since the industry is widely believed to be part of the problem. (Jim Wurst, UN Wire, 2 Aug. 2002)

Body of 20th miner found in Ukraine - The body of the last of a group of miners working at the site of an explosion deep in a coal mine in eastern Ukraine has been found and brought to the surface, raising the death toll to 20 (Dmitry Dobrovolsky, Guardian [UK], 2 Aug. 2002)

American Apparel Senior Partner Dov Charney honored for humanitarian efforts - American Apparel Senior Partner Dov Charney was recently honored by the Fashion Business Incubator, a Los Angeles based non-profit fashion organization, at its annual awards dinner for his work to provide sweatshop-free working conditions for his workers. (Wearables Business, 1 Aug. 2002) 

Child labour rife in cocoa sector - A survey released on Thursday details the true extent of child labour in the cocoa sector of West Africa. Dr Rodomiro Ortiz at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, told the BBC's World Business Report that 254,000 children had been identified as working in hazardous conditions. (BBC News, 1 Aug. 2002)

Ukraine pledges action after mine blast - Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has promised to close down all unsafe mines following an explosion at a coal-pit which killed 20 people. (BBC News, 1 Aug. 2002)

Household chemicals warning - Many chemicals found routinely in products around the home could be damaging our health...Artificial musks - used as fragrances in perfumes, cosmetics and household goods....Phthalates - plastic softeners used in many PVC products, such as children's toys, and in some cosmetics...Bisphenol A - a component of resins used to line food cans...Organotins - heat stabilisers used in approximately 8% of PVC products in Europe. Traces have also been found in some brands of disposable nappies...The makers of Glade air fresheners, and Dove and Physiosport shower gels contained artificial musks...Avon, Olay and Max Factor nail varnishes contained phthalates, while several other manufacturers said they were in the process of "phasing them out", including Boots, L'Oreal, Lancome and Maybelline...Heinz, John West and Princes use Bisphenol A to make food and drink cans, and it is an ingredient of most baby feeding bottles in the UK, including those made by Boots, Mothercare, Tommee Tippee and Avent. (BBC News, 1 Aug. 2002)

South Africa's Aids apartheid -...People who are HIV positive are therefore beginning to raise demands far beyond the question of medical treatment: the rebuilding of public services, access to an unconditional basic income of 100 rand (10 euros) a month, workers' rights...Too expensive for the poorest countries, these drugs [antiretrovirals] are at the heart of the debate on globalisation. Can patents take precedence over the right to life? (Philippe Rivière, Le Monde diplomatique, Aug. 2002)

Close the Mines, Send Off the Miners, Jail the Mine Bosses – What Next? [China] -...At the root of the safety problem is the fact that the miners are denied the right to protect themselves against hazardous working conditions, and the official trade union is ineffective in safety prevention. (China Labour Bulletin, 31 July 2002)

CLIMATE CHANGE: SUVs Causing Increased U.S. Emissions, NGO Says - Cars and light trucks produce one-fifth of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, and overall emissions are rising rapidly in the United States after decades of declining steadily, Environmental Defense said this week in a new report...The group identified General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler in particular as accounting for disproportionately high levels of emissions for their market shares. (UN Wire, 31 July 2002)

Hairdressing salon chemical alert - Hairdressers are more likely to give birth to babies with major physical defects, a study suggests...The scientists suggest that the chemicals used to style hair, including colours and hairspray, could be responsible. (BBC News, 31 July 2002)

Finnish study links pollution [coming from factory smokestacks and the tailpipes of some diesel-powered buses and trucks] with heart disease (Maggie Fox, Reuters, 31 July 2002) 

Pesticide politics [India] - As the endosulfan controversy erupts afresh, the Kerala government backs itself into a tight corner [refers to Plantation Corporation of Kerala] (Kushal P S Yadav, Down To Earth [India], 31 July 2002)

Seafarers demand better payment, welfare [Indonesia] - ...The ILO report on its investigation into their living and working conditions in the Asia-Pacific region said that labor conditions in Indonesia's maritime and sea transportation sector were still in poor condition because of extremely weak union representation of port workers and seafarers. (Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta Post, 30 July 2002)

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT: Global Disparities Growing, UNIDO Report Says -..."The least developed countries, still struggling to meet the basic human needs of their population, have had their health, social and economic standards slip over the last few decades," said UNIDO Director General Carlos Magarinos. (UN Wire, 30 July 2002)

CLIMATE CHANGE: ESCAP Official Warns Of Severe Environmental Threat - Climate change will cause serious damage to the global environment, flooding small island states and threatening public health, U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific climate expert Ravi Sawhney told a regional conference today. (UN Wire, 30 July 2002)

Jordanian Workers applaud amendments expanding their rights -...The amendments to Article 31 of Labour Law have been applauded by the Jordanian Society for Human Rights, which also commended the government's decision to raise the legal age for juveniles working in potentially hazardous conditions from 17 to 18...Hazardous jobs include working in chemical and steel factories, mining and manufacturing. (Hassan Shobaki, Jordan Times, 30 July 2002)

Union wants answers about mold [Hawaii, USA] - Local 5 opposes a new tower until Hilton finds out what went wrong with the Kalia Tower - Faced with unanswered questions about the Hilton Hawaiian Village mold problem and its effect on hotel workers, union leader Eric Gill went on the offensive yesterday (Tim Ruel, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 30 July 2002)

Trail thallium victims still suffering [Canada] - Dozens of workers who were poisoned with toxic thallium while working at the Teck Cominco smelter in Trail, B.C. last summer are still waiting to hear why a co-worker died in May. (Cara Wiest, CBC TV, 29 July 2002)

CHILD LABOR: U.S. Says 284,000 Do Hazardous Work On Cocoa Farms - As many as 284,000 child laborers work in hazardous conditions on cocoa farms in West Africa, the bulk of them in Cote d'Ivoire and the majority alongside their parents, the U.S. Agency for International Development and Labor Department said as they released new figures Friday. (UN Wire, 29 July 2002)

Workers exposed to poison metal await coroner's report on co-worker death [Canada] - Workers poisoned by thallium at a Teck Cominco lead smelter are anxiously awaiting a coroner's report on the death of a co-worker. (CP, 29 July 2002)

{···español} CCOO denuncia el incremento de los accidentes laborales graves [España] (Panorama Actual, 29 julio 2002)

Long battle may lead to flood of worker claims [Australia] - Retired airman Eric Nothard who suffered a stroke in 1999. A retired airman's three-year battle to prove his stressful job left him with permanent high blood pressure enters a new phase today in a case that may have wide ramifications for how Australian employers treat workers. (Tom Noble, The Age [Australia], 29 July 2002)

Labor Pains [USA] - Not too many people care about Javier's problems. - He's an illegal immigrant earning about $100 a day at a Waterbury construction site. He's got no benefits or insurance, lives in a crowded hotel room with other illegal immigrants and sends nearly all his earnings to his family in Mexico. He's part of a vast sub-economy of people who travel great distances and break the law to work menial jobs most Americans don't want: cleaning crews, landscapers, movers, day laborers. If Javier gets hurt, becomes ill or has some other job-related problem, he's on his own. (Patrick Whittle, New Haven Register, 28 July 2002)

Workers sick of bullying [Australia] - Bullies roaming offices and factory floors have prompted the State's union movement and a leading employees' health body to begin drawing up a workplace anti-bullying policy. (Jim O'Rourke, Sun Herald [Australia], 28 July 2002)

Top shops blacklist 'danger' chemicals [UK] - Five high street retailers have agreed to eliminate potentially harmful chemicals from the products they sell. Boots, Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, B&Q and the Early Learning Centre will look at the chemicals used in both their own products and those made by suppliers. The announcement follows pressure from Friends of the Earth (Ananova, 27 July 2002)

ITF helps to jail ship owner and thugs for reign of terror - An ITF inspector has helped to send three men to jail for running a regime of fear and violence on board a ship docked in Denmark. Two men sent to the ship by the owner of the Russian-owned, Belize-flagged Salus were yesterday sentenced to four months in jail for severe violence against a crew member who had complained to the ITF about conditions on board. The ship's owner was jailed for six months for ordering the attack. (ITF-International Transport Workers’ Federation, 26 July 2002)

Rise in Mining Deaths Prompts Political Sparring [USA] (Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, 26 July 2002)

Big Tobacco prepared to fight smoke free workplace laws - The big tobacco companies are prepared to put a lot of resources into fighting unions who want to push for smoke-free workplaces because they know they will lose several billion dollars in cigarette sales if the union movement wins. (Australian Liquor, Hospitality & Miscellaneous Workers Union, 26 July 2002)

New effort to reach women with tetanus vaccine could save thousands of lives - Pre-Filled Injection Device Is Helping Reach Remotest Communities - UNICEF today announced concentrated efforts to reach women in poor, hard-to-reach communities with vaccine against maternal and neonatal tetanus...Uniject™ is manufactured by BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) and another company, Bio Farma, produces the vaccine and fills the syringe. The two companies have jointly donated 9 million units to UNICEF over the next three years for use in the collaborative effort to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. "This is an excellent example of a partnership between the public and private sectors," Bellamy [Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF] said. (UNICEF, 26 July 2002)

Human rights society welcomes Labour Law amendment [Jordan] - The Jordanian Society for Human Rights on Wednesday welcomed the government's recent decision to raise the legal age for juveniles working in potentially hazardous conditions from 17 to 18. But the society pointed out in a statement that considerable efforts should be exerted to address the social and health problems caused by child labour. (Jordan Times, 25 July 2002)

HUMAN RIGHTS: WHO Launches Publications On Health, Rights - The first in a new series of publications on the linkages between health and human rights was posted on the Internet by the World Health Organization yesterday. The WHO said 25 Questions and Answers on Health and Human Rights is meant for "governments and others concerned in developing a human rights approach to public health work." (UN Wire, 25 July 2002)

Fat Americans sue fast food firms - A group of overweight Americans have sued several US fast food giants accusing them of knowingly serving meals that cause obesity and disease. The lawsuit - filed in New York State Supreme Court in the Bronx - says that McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Kentucky Fried Chicken misled customers by enticing them with greasy, salty and sugary food. (BBC News, 25 July 2002)

UNICEF: Amusement Parks To Help Raise Vaccine Funds - UNICEF and one of the world's largest amusement park groups launched a joint project yesterday to raise money for children's immunization drives. (UN Wire, 25 July 2002)

The Sorry Union History of a Mexican Tech Factory - Bloomberg's Terminal Troubles -...At one time, up to a thousand people toiled in this plant [in Cananea, Mexico] nine hours a day in sweatshop-like conditions for less than 40 cents an hour, manufacturing computer keyboards and video games. And it is here that a company named Maxi Switch Inc. [subsidiary of the Taiwanese corporation Lite-On/Silitek Global EMS Group] smashed the independent union its workers formed in November 1995...Beside Bloomberg LP, Maxi Switch's clients include major companies such as IBM, Dell, Sega, Gateway, and Lexmark. (Laurence Pantin, Village Voice, 24-30 July 2002)

Cole Royal Commission should expose dodgy employers: QCU [Australia] -...Today the QCU Executive calls on the Commission into Australia's building industry to publicly expose the many examples of dodgy employers in the construction industry that continually rip off workers and government agencies..."an industry that is plagued with crooked employers who routinely defraud workers and put their safety at risk on a daily basis" (Queensland Council of Unions, 24 July 2002)

Playing havoc with life and health [Australia] -...working hours in the construction industry can fluctuate wildly...Yesterday's judgement in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission does...give workers the right to refuse to work overtime if this is unreasonable because of family responsibilities or a risk to health and safety. (Sherrill Nixon, Sydney Morning Herald, 24 July 2002)

On the morning of Friday, July 5, 2002, hundreds of workers employed at Hoon's Apparel, a garment factory near Olocuilta, La Paz in El Salvador, were evacuated to nearby hospitals for treatment of chemical intoxication. (behindthelabel.org, 23 July 2002)

Ranbaxy: Providing sustainable and primary healthcare to poor communities [India] -...Ranbaxy, one of India’s major pharmaceutical firms, has in place a programme to provide primary healthcare and other sustainable healthcare services to poor communities as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative. (InfoChange [India]), sourced from Business Standard [India], 22 July 2002)

WHO Drafts Treaty to Ban Cigarette Ads Internationally -...With a May 2003 deadline, the WHO pact would require all signatories to draw up legislation to prevent and reduce tobacco consumption, nicotine addiction and exposure to tobacco smoke. (New York Times article summarised by Business for Social Responsibility, 22 July 2002)

Sasol capitulates in dispute with ill worker [South Africa] - Sasol, the synthetic fuel producer faced with contempt of court proceedings tomorrow for refusing to reinstate a worker who was dismissed when he became ill from exposure to toxic chemicals, has capitulated and agreed to rehire the man. (Ronnie Morris, Business Report [South Africa], 22 July 2002)

TUC reveals how to stop the £14 billion workplace injury drain [UK] - There are seven steps which employers should take to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses costing the British economy £14 billion annually, cut the 14.5 million days of sickness absence a year caused by work-related illness and injury, and prevent 27,000 workers leaving the workforce permanently every year because of workplace injury and ill-health, according to TUC research published today (Trades Union Congress [UK], 22 July 2002)

Warning over work hours [New Zealand] - The need to balance work with family life is the impetus behind a report released by the Council of Trade Unions...the report confirms that people who clock up too many hours at work are missing out on a family life and putting their health at risk. (One News, 22 July 2002)

6 Workers Die in Ukraine Mine Blast (Associated Press, 21 July 2002)

Trainee system a cover for using illegal workers [Japan]...It appeared to be a typical labor accident, but the Sanjo Labor Standards Inspection Office decided in May not to pay him worker's compensation, saying he is a trainee and cannot be recognized as a worker (Japan Today, 21 July 2002)

Inside China's sweatshops [refers to factories making toys, clothes, shoes, paint, electronics] (BBC News, 20 July 2002)

Bayer and the UN Global Compact - How and Why a Major Pharmaceutical and Chemical Company "Bluewashes" its Image -...Bayer's use of the Global Compact is a classic case of "bluewash" -- using the good reputation of the United Nations to present a corporate humanitarian image without a commitment to changing real-world behavior [includes reference to conduct during World Wars I and II, pesticide & environmental issues] (Philipp Mimkes, Coalition Against Bayer Dangers, Corpwatch website, 19 July 2002)

UNICEF, McDonald's and Ronald McDonald House Charities team up to raise funds for children (UNICEF, 19 July 2002)

BILHARZIA: British, U.S. Institutions, WHO Launch New Control Initiative The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has granted $30 million to Imperial College London, the Harvard School of Public Health and the World Health Organization to found the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (UN Wire, 18 July 2002)

TOBACCO: WHO Releases Draft Treaty - The World Health Organization yesterday released the text of the draft Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which will be negotiated by WHO member countries Oct. 14 to 25 in Geneva. (UN Wire, 17 July 2002)

MOZAMBIQUE: Japan To Help Dispose Of Old Pesticides - Japan announced Monday that it will fund part of the cost of cleaning up old, unused pesticide in Mozambique that was purchased with Japanese aid. (UN Wire, 17 July 2002)

'Teleworkers' to be granted equal rights [European Union] - Employers and trade unions yesterday signed a ground-breaking deal giving the growing number of people using technology to work from home or those on the move equal rights with their conventional office-bound counterparts...The agreement...guarantees them equal rights in areas such as employment, training and health and safety. (Michael Mann, Financial Times, 17 July 2002)

Miners pay high price for China's coal - China's insatiable demand for coal has a dark side that has been on gruesome display in recent weeks, with a series of terrifying underground explosions, hundreds of deaths and tales of medieval horror as mine managers have tried to hide bodies from the authorities. (Richard McGregor, Financial Times, 17 July 2002)

US sues Shell, Saudi venture over tank explosion - The U.S. Justice Department said this week it had filed suit against a joint venture of Shell Oil Co. and Saudi Refining Inc., accusing the company of "gross negligence" that led to a deadly tank explosion last year...which killed one person and injured eight others. (Reuters, 17 July 2002)

NRC cites Wisconsin Energy for nuclear safety problem - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this week it cited Wisconsin Electric Co.'s twin-reactor Point Beach nuclear power plant in Wisconsin for a potentially dangerous problem. (Reuters, 17 July 2002) 

World Health Organization Releases Draft Tobacco Treaty Text Ahead of October Negotiations - The World Health Organization (WHO) today released the draft of a treaty text which will provide the basis for the final stage of the negotiations of a Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). (World Health Organization, 16 July 2002)

New Standard for Corporate Social Responsibility of Drugs Companies - Oxfam, Save the Children and VSO have developed an industry standard for assessing the corporate social responsibility of drugs companies in responding to the health crisis in the developing world. - In a new report, Beyond Philanthropy, published today, the three development agencies propose a set of benchmarks to assist investors in assessing the social responsibility of pharmaceutical companies. These benchmarks relate to company policies and practices in five key areas which impact on access to medicines for the 14 million children and adults who die each year from infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS. The key areas are: pricing, patents, joint public private initiatives, research and development and appropriate use of medicines. (Oxfam, Save the Children and VSO, 16 July 2002)

Greek PM Warns Olympic Construction Companies - Greek Premier Costas Simitis has warned construction companies that they face expulsion from the 2004 Olympic Village building site if they do not improve safety measures. Four workers have died at the site this year (Voice of America News, 16 July 2002)

Cherry picker safety charges [Australia] - An electrical contracting company fined $45,000 two years ago after the death of a 17-year-old apprentice has been charged again with similar breaches of the Workplace Health and Safety Act. (David Potter, Courier Mail [Australia], 16 July 2002)

Child Workers at Risk from Mercury - Ten-year Tanzanian children are involved in mining activities including washing of rock and collecting and carrying crushed rock that expose them to serious health risks. (from East African, in Child Labour News Service, 15 July 2002) 

Group to wage war on child labour [Philippines] - A multisectoral group has formed a task force to fight child labour in Western Visayas, which has drawn more than 200,000 children to work under mostly hazardous conditions. (from Philippine Daily Inquirer, in Child Labour News Service, 15 July 2002)

CSR-World launches online labour law database for South Asia [web site] - CSRWorld recently launched an online database called "Country Profiles". This section contains labour law database of South Asian countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Country Profiles section is mainly designed for social compliance needs in India and other South Asian countries. Social Compliance requires compliance with local labour laws on issues like child labour, minimum wages, social security benefits, workers' welfare, workplace conditions etc. Accessible at www.csrworld.net, this is the first online labour law database of key sourcing countries for big American and European Retailers. (Child Labour News Service, 15 July 2002)

Environmental groups fight Tessenderlo unit licence [Belgium] - Three environmental groups, including Greenpeace, have launched legal action to withdraw an environmental licence granted to Belgian chemicals company Tessenderlo's LVM due to health risks (Reuters, 15 July 2002) 

1200 latex allergy victims a year need action from glove makers to government [UK] - reports on a 'latex summit' hosted by the TUC in May, which brought together nurses, latex allergy sufferers, Malaysian glove manufacturers, unions, health sector employers and government agencies. (Trades Union Congress [UK], 13 July 2002)

Shadows of 'that night': the struggle for justice for Bhopal - A letter from Indra Sinha, pleading for justice for the victims of the Union Carbide gas disaster in India. (New Internationalist, 12 July 2002)

Antiquated labor laws fail to protect young workers [USA] -...The government's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates 230,000 teens are injured at work each year [includes reference to following industries: metals, restaurant, construction] (USA Today, 12 July 2002)

Exposed: Double standards of dirty energy exports [UK] - Export credit agencies help flog coal, nuclear technologies to developing countries - Export credit agencies (ECAs) are little-known but important accomplices in the cynical practice of exporting dirty and outmoded technology to developing countries. This business exposes citizens of the developing world to health and environmental risks and contributes to the growing burden of climate changing gases in the atmosphere. (Greenpeace, 12 July 2002)

Cosmetics full of suspect chemicals, group says - Cosmetics ranging from perfume to hair gel contain chemicals shown to cause birth defects in animals, a group that lobbies on health issues said. (Maggie Fox, Reuters, 12 July 2002)

Ethiopia builds leadership to stem HIV/AIDS epidemic - Ethiopia is mobilizing more than 250 leaders at all levels of government and civil society to step up efforts to reduce the number of people contracting HIV/AIDS and improve treatment and care for those infected with the disease...The process will span nine months, involving leaders from all sectors of society including government officials and civil society organizations, such as youth groups, religious organizations, women's groups and the private sector. (U.N. Development Programme, 11 July 2002)

Cooper Cameron says sued over water contamination [USA] - Cooper Cameron Corp. said this week that it had been sued by a resident of Houston over contamination of underground water. The Houston-based maker of valves and other equipment for the oil and gas industry (Reuters, 11 July 2002)

Chinese shoe factory workers 'poisoned by glue' - Eight workers from a shoe factory in China are in hospital with glue poisoning. (Ananova, 9 July 2002)

Ukraine mine chiefs arrested - The Ukrainian authorities have arrested three top managers of a coal mine in the eastern Donetsk region where 35 miners died over the weekend. (BBC News, 9 July 2002)

Mine deaths '88% human error' [South Africa] - Gold Fields, the country's second-largest gold producer, yesterday lashed out at the blame culture that had developed around local mining safety, saying 88 percent of local mine deaths were the result of human error. "It's become too easy to blame management," said Ian Cockerill, the chief executive of Gold Fields. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 9 July 2002)

Industrial Accidents Plague China -...A string of industrial deaths – mostly in the country's notoriously perilous mines... – has forced China to promise even more attention to its safety campaign and prod officials at all levels into helping. (Audra Ang, Associated Press, 9 July 2002)

Bhopal Survivors Stage Protest Over Lessened Accusation - India Seeks to Reduce Charge Facing Ex-Union Carbide Boss...The [Indian] government has asked the Bhopal District Court to reduce the charges against Anderson from culpable homicide to negligence. (Rama Lakshmi, Washington Post, 8 July 2002)

Fewer deaths on the workplace [Norway] - A decreasing number of Norwegians die from accidents related to the workplace. So far this year, 14 persons are reported to have died from accidents while at work. (Norway Post, 8 July 2002)

Neglect 'caused' Ukraine mine fire (CNN, 8 July 2002)

Safety Overlooked for Teen Workers [USA] (Darlene Superville, Associated Press, 8 July 2002)

Pesticides 'threat to rural dwellers' [UK] - Pesticides are threatening the health of people living in rural areas, a government advisory committee will be told this week. (BBC News, 8 July 2002)

Africa needs green growth to fight pollution - UN - Africans are likely to suffer increasing pollution, ill-health and loss of farmland unless the continent adopts "clean" technologies and the world does more to fight global warming, the United Nations said (Paul Busharizi, Reuters, 8 July 2002)

Victims’ families demand legal changes to make companies and directors more accountable [UK] - Families bereaved and injured from work-related deaths and disasters will today (Monday) call for tougher enforcement of health and safety laws, a new law on corporate killing, and the imposition of safety duties on company directors (Trades Union Congress, 8 July 2002)

Dozens killed in Ukraine mine fire -...The cause of the accident is not known, but Ukraine's ageing coal pits have a bad safety record, and have been described by the World Bank as the world's most dangerous mines. (BBC News, 7 July 2002)

31 Killed In Johor Industrial Accidents Last Year [Malaysia] (The Star [Malaysia], 7 July 2002)

Pennies an Hour, and No Way Up -...Two billion people in the world make less than two American dollars a day. As voters and consumers of sweatshop products, Americans can make a difference in ending the miserable conditions under which these people work...Under our customs laws, we ban imports made with inmate and indentured labor, so why not extend the ban to include those made with sweatshop and child labor? (Tom Hayden & Charles Kernaghan, in New York Times, 6 July 2002)

Miserable conditions at labour camp leads to unpaid worker's death [Dubai, United Arab Emirates] - An Asian worker fell ill and died last week due to miserable conditions at the labour camp where his Dubai-based company accommodates its staff. (Gulf News [United Arab Emirates], 6 July 2002)

Trade Unions Call For More Integrated Workplace Approaches to AIDS/HIV -...world trade union bodies are calling on national governments to institute more integrated approaches to deal with the scourge of HIV/AIDS by implementing concrete measures at the workplace level...Trade unions have stepped up efforts to encourage governments and stakeholders to make the new ILO Code of Practice for HIV/AIDS a central tool for implementation of solutions, world-wide (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 5 July 2002)

South Africa 'must provide Aids drug' - South Africa's constitutional court has ordered the government to provide a key anti-Aids drug at all public hospitals. The drug helps prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV-Aids. (BBC News, 5 July 2002)

Local mines blasted over safety [South Africa]  - As the government's chief adviser on mine safety was berating local mines for their safety standards yesterday, miners were battling to rescue two of their colleagues trapped more than 2km underground at a West Rand gold mine...The same Gold Fields mine reported one fatality and injuries last week after a similar event. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 5 July 2002)

Doctors criticised over drug company payments [UK] - Doctors have been criticised for not admitting they receive payments for recruiting patients to clinical trials. (BBC News, 5 July 2002)

Failure in pollution fight in Calcutta - The authorities in Indian state of West Bengal have been criticised by a federal auditing body for failing to fight pollution in Calcutta...World Health Organisation figures show more than eleven-thousand people die each year in Calcutta because of pollution, and more than half of the city's children have excessive amounts of lead in their blood. (BBC News, 5 July 2002)

China miners told to pack bags - About 10,000 gold miners are being given their marching orders in north China's Shanxi province in a move to shut down illegal mines. (BBC News, 5 July 2002)

EU MPs toughen chemicals rules after Toulouse blast - The European Parliament voted this week to toughen rules on storing dangerous chemicals to cut the risk of another Toulouse-style disaster, when a fertilizer plant exploded and killed 30 people. (Reuters, 5 July 2002) 

Quebec to ban most non-farm pesticides by 2005 [Canada] (Reuters, 5 July 2002)

Banned hormone use by Dutch farmers more widespread - Dutch investigators have uncovered more pig farmers using a banned growth hormone (Reuters, 5 July 2002) 

Trying to clear away the corporate smokescreen - How can a company whose products kill millions be considered socially responsible? That is the key question that faces British American Tobacco as it publishes its first social report this week. (Alison Maitland, Financial Times, 4 July 2002)

Environmental enemy No. 1: Cleaning up the burning of coal would be the best way to make growth greener -...it makes sense to start a slow shift away from today's filthy use of fossil fuels towards a cleaner, low-carbon future. There are three reasons for calling for such an energy revolution...The third reason is the most pressing of all: human health. (Economist, 4 July 2002)

Survey: The Global Environment (Economist, 4 July 2002):

Tobacco 'Social Responsibility' Report - Asia-Pacific health and consumer groups have dismissed this week's release of the tobacco giant British American Tobacco's (BAT) first global 'social responsibility' report, one that avoids acknowledging the addictive nature of nicotine. (Bob Burton, Inter Press Service, 4 July 2002)

Fresh mine disasters hit China - More than 50 mine workers are feared dead in China, after two more accidents in the country's beleaguered mine industry, officials have reported. (BBC News, 4 July 2002)

African Commission Hands Down Far-reaching Human Rights Decision - Groups hailed Tuesday a sweeping and unprecedented ruling by Africa's premier human rights tribunal that held that the former military regime of Nigeria violated the economic and social rights of the Ogoni people by failing to protect their property, lands, and health from destruction caused by foreign oil companies and the Nigerian security forces. The decision...calls for the civilian-led government, which took power in 1999, to provide adequate compensation to the victims and ensure that future oil development on its territory is closely monitored to ensure the rights of local people. (Jim Lobe, OneWorld US, 3 July 2002)

Indian Environmentalists Call for Ban on Pesticide - Indian environmentalists called Wednesday for an immediate ban on endosulfan, a pesticide that is already outlawed in many parts of the world and has recently been linked to disease and deformity in southern India by a confidential government report. (Kalyani, OneWorld South Asia, 3 July 2002)

South African auditors urge Aids reviews - South Africa's main accounting body is urging companies to disclose the impact of Aids on their balance sheets...The accounting body also hopes that greater disclosure will compel firms to take more action to help employees. (BBC News, 3 July 2002)

PESTICIDES: New EU Paper Prepares For Policy Debate - The European Union adopted a paper Monday on the sustainable use of pesticides, calling for reduction and transparency in their use and for safer alternatives. (UN Wire, 3 July 2002)

SHIPPING: Landmark Rules On Safety, Pollution Control Come Into Effect (UN Wire, 3 July 2002)

Smoke could ruin child's fertility - Smoking while pregnant appears to put the future fertility of any female children at risk. (BBC News, 3 July 2002)

Plight of Peru town dim after mine's mercury spill -...Chuquitucto blames her blindness on the June 2000 spill from one of the world's top gold mines, Yanacocha, an environmental disaster that has prompted villagers to file a lawsuit in Colorado against Denver-based Newmont Minerals. (Missy Ryan, Reuters, 3 July 2002)

A raft of new laws aimed at bolstering ship safety and cutting down pollution from ships and accidents at sea came into force, the United Nations' maritime body [International Maritime Organisation] said in a statement. (Reuters, 3 July 2002)

Arrests after China mine blast - Police in northern China have detained seven people thought to have been involved in an attempt to cover up an accident at a gold mine last month. (BBC News, 2 July 2002)

China Launches Campaign to Ensure Ship Safety - China Monday joined the world's leading port states in launching a three-month Concentrated Inspection Campaign to ensure cargo ships are operating safely and in an environmentally conscious manner. (Xinhuanet, 2 July 2002)

Farm probe to focus on conditions for workers [South Africa] - The SA [South Africa] Human Rights Commission is launching its national inquiry into human rights abuses in farming communities after receiving several complaints from the public. The commission will hold hearings into all aspects of farming. These include farm killings, working conditions, child labour, education, land rights and tenure rights. (Business Day, 2 July 2002)

Hormone pollution wrecks sperm - Chemicals found in the environment pose a threat to human fertility, scientists say. Men and women may have been exposed to these chemicals from paints, pesticides and cleaning products, as well as beer, vegetables and soya. It is likely to be female exposure which carries the most threat, say researchers. (BBC News, 2 July 2002)

Smoking 'damages IVF chances' - Men who smoke reduce their chances of fathering a child through assisted reproduction, research suggests. (BBC News, 2 July 2002)

Mobile fears of world health leader - Parents have been warned against letting their children spend too much time on their mobile phones by the head of the World Health Organization (WHO). (BBC News, 2 July 2002)

Alcoa says alumina steady at Australia plants - Independent contract workers at three Alcoa Inc alumina refineries in Australia returned to work early yesterday after walking off the job last week because they were excluded from a health study (Reuters, 2 July 2002)

Pollution endangers Baltic Sea fishing - Tests have shown that some species of Baltic fish have too high levels of dioxin... Dioxins - cancer-causing toxic chemical compounds caused by burning plastic, fuel and rubbish - are hard to break down once they get into the food chain...The pollution is mainly air-borne and drifts in on southwest winds from Germany and Britain, and from combustion in the Baltic region countries. (Karin Lundback, Reuters, 2 July 2002)

Bush administration cuts clean-up funding [USA] - The Bush administration has cut the funds necessary to clean up 33 toxic waste sites in 18 states under the Superfund cleanup program, according to a new report to Congress by the inspector general of the Environmental Protection Agency, The New York Times reported yesterday...Sites affected by the cuts include a manufacturing plant in Edison, New Jersey, where the herbicide Agent Orange, used in the Vietnam War, was produced, as well as several chemical plants in Florida and two old mines in Montana. (Reuters, 2 July 2002)

Steel mill accident kills two [New Zealand] - Workplace safety is under scrutiny again after two workers were killed at a South Auckland steel mill. (ONE News, 2 July 2002)

Coffee is more than a beverage to most of the world -...My company -- a Bay Area gourmet coffee roaster that distributes nationwide [USA] -- spends at least four months each year directly aiding (providing houses, schools, etc.) farmers in Latin America, Indonesia and Africa...the socially conscious can urge coffee drinkers coast to coast to pressure roasters to establish "social contracts" with farms that include: -- Multiyear fixed prices well above the cost of production -- Programs that provide basic amenities (nutrition, health care, education, housing, sanitary living and working conditions) for coffee farm workers -- Direct payment and implementation of materials and services to coffee workers -- rather than merely donating a percentage of sales to farms. (Jon B. Rogers, founder and president of San Leandro-based San Francisco Bay Gourmet Coffee Co, in San Francisco Chronicle, 1 July 2002)

New York Forced Labor Marks First for U.S. Trafficking Law -...In an indictment issued late last month, the United States attorney in Buffalo charged that the six contractors [who contract migrant labor for farmers]  transported and held several dozens of migrants whom they recruited in Arizona in illegal and unsafe conditions and forced them to work to repay more than $1,000 each for the cost of their transportation, food, rent, and utilities. (Jim Lobe, OneWorld US, 1 July 2002)

Pesticides banned in baby food - But still in fruit and veg -...Friends of the Earth is calling on retailers to phase-out the use of pesticides that are causing most concern and aim for residue-free food - starting with foods most popular with infants and young children. (Friends of the Earth, 1 July 2002)

Labour department focuses on mining [South Africa] - The mining industry has become the focus of the labour department, which plans to use the benchmarking and safety standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to fine-tune new national safety laws. In the background is the disturbing increase in mining accidents this year, particularly the deaths at Impala Platinum, and calls for widespread safety reforms in the industry. (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 1 July 2002)

EU to curb dioxins levels in food/feed from today - Food and animal feed manufacturers across the European Union must abide by strict new limits on permitted levels of cancer-causing dioxins from July 1, the European Commission said last week. Dioxins are accidental by-products generated mainly through incineration by the chemical and pharmaceutical industries and can be absorbed through the skin or eaten in food. (Reuters, 1 July 2002)

Corporate Codes of Conduct: Regulation, Self-Regulation and the Lessons from the Baby Food Case - An Interview with Judith Richter [consumer and public health activist] [refers to Nestle] (Multinational Monitor, July-Aug. 2002)

Beyond Good Deeds: Case Studies and a New Policy Agenda for Corporate Accountability [coverage includes oil industry & high tech industry; environment; pollution & its impact on human health; health & safety in the workplace; labour rights; security arrangements & human rights abuses; supply chain; codes of conduct; legal accountability; case studies on: Nigeria - Chevron & Shell; Azerbaijan & Kazakhstan - Unocal & Chevron; Ecuador - Occidental; Peru - Shell; Taiwan - Shengli Chemical Co.; Thailand - Seagate Technology, Advanced Micro Devices, Read-Rite, IBM, Lucent Technology, Hana Microelectronics, Philips; India; Malaysia - Seagate Technology, Agilent Technologies, Advanced Micro Devices, Intel, Dell, Fairchild Semiconductor, Integrated Device Technology, Iomega, Knowles Electronics, KOMAG USA, Linear Semiconductor, MCMS, Motorola Technology, Quantum Peripherals, Solectron Technology, Xircom Operations; Costa Rica - Intel, Romic; California] (Michelle Leighton, Naomi Roht-Arriaza & Lyuba Zarsky, California Global Corporate Accountability Project, July 2002)