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11 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 27/1998
A big mechanical excavator cruised genteel St. James's Square in London this morning. Dangling from the scoop was a giant banner: Rio Tinto Dumps On Human Rights.
Looking on to the square is the global headquarters of Rio Tinto, the world's biggest mining company.
GLOBAL DEMO
(Almost) simultaneous union protests outside Rio Tinto's offices in London (above) and Melbourne.
This was not the first digger to spoil Rio Tinto's day. Just hours earlier, in a coordinated global protest, Australian miners and their allies had demonstrated outside the company's offices in Melbourne (see ICEM News release 26/1998).
Rio Tinto's anti-union stance in many parts of the world has sparked a global trade union campaign, coordinated by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM).
Allied with the ICEM and its affiliated unions worldwide on this issue are a wide range of campaigning organisations on environmental issues and human rights, notably worker rights and indigenous people's rights. Rio Tinto is currently under heavy fire on all these counts.
Leading the protesters in London this morning was ICEM British Vice-President Fred Higgs, who is National Officer of ICEM British affiliate the Transport and General Workers' Union.
"This is one more step in our campaign to turn Rio Tinto into a decent citizen," Higgs emphasised. "It is simply unacceptable that a multinational based in this country should trample on people's rights worldwide. Our ICEM is a global union federation dedicated to practical global solidarity. We are determined to bring Rio Tinto to book."
Higgs declared the unions' support for a motion tabled in the British House of Commons last week. 29 British parliamentarians signed up to the motion, which strongly condemned Rio Tinto and called on shareholders to ensure that the multinational mends its ways (for the full text of the motion, see ICEM UPDATE 24/1998). One feature of the global campaign is the tabling of parliamentary questions about Rio Tinto in countries where it has a presence.
During the demo, Higgs received a call on his mobile from the ICEM's Australian Vice-President, John Maitland of the mining and allied workers' union CFMEU. Maitland outlined the successful Melbourne event, and Higgs assured him of full solidarity at the British end.
Also taking part in the London demo today were Maureen Rooney, National Secretary of the ICEM-affiliated Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union, and ICEM Mines Officer Damien Roland.
Rio Tinto locked its front door when the demonstration began, and its staff had to enter the building at the back. But the union demonstrators were also outside the back entrance.
Why Does Rio Tinto Riot Into People's Rights? asked leaflets handed to the multinational's headquarters staff, to watching journalists and to passers-by. The handbills went on to list just some of tainted Tinto's misdeeds - and to contrast these with the rosy picture in the company's new annual report.
The protesters then went back round and knocked on the front door. It was opened just long enough for an unusually publicity-shy Rio Tinto to accept a few copies of the protest leaflet.