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12 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 61/1998
Rio Tinto, the world's biggest private mining company, was today accused of "racist practices" in Namibia.
The damaging charge is made in a two-page statement issued by the Mineworkers' Union of Namibia (MUN) after the company suddenly halted collective bargaining.
Recalling that Rio Tinto was "in cahoots" with the South African apartheid regime during its illegal occupation of Namibia, the MUN says the company's withdrawal from bargaining is in fact a "calculated effort" to maintain "discriminatory practices" dating from that era.
The union cites:
Continued racial segregation in company-provided housing, with the best estates being de facto reserved for whites.
Wage discrimination. All Rio Tinto's black employees are, the MUN says, "paid rock-bottom at the common scale while their white counterparts are paid way above the maximum of the common scale in what is termed an inducement band."
Disciplinary discrimination. A union/management subcommittee had, the MUN points out, confirmed the union's claim that white and black workers are treated differently when involved in safety incidents. "The former are just counselled while the latter receive harsh punitive actions ranging from final warnings to dismissals."
The union says it had proposed a moratorium on disciplinary action until measures to end discrimination had been agreed. On receiving this proposal, management unilaterally halted collective bargaining. The ending of race discrimination has been a major negotiating issue at Rio Tinto in Namibia over the eight years since the country gained its independence. But there is "no solution in sight to date," the union says. The company's unilateral halt to collective bargaining therefore amounts to a continuing entrenchment of racism.
The union is now seeking legal advice.
Namibia is by no means the only country where Rio Tinto is in trouble. The company is facing a broad-based worldwide campaign against its environmental damage and its violations of human rights. In particular, its attacks on trade union rights in many parts of the world have made it a priority target for networking by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). The MUN is an ICEM affiliate.
The damaging charge is made in a two-page statement issued by the Mineworkers' Union of Namibia (MUN) after the company suddenly halted collective bargaining.
Recalling that Rio Tinto was "in cahoots" with the South African apartheid regime during its illegal occupation of Namibia, the MUN says the company's withdrawal from bargaining is in fact a "calculated effort" to maintain "discriminatory practices" dating from that era.
The union cites:
Continued racial segregation in company-provided housing, with the best estates being de facto reserved for whites.
Wage discrimination. All Rio Tinto's black employees are, the MUN says, "paid rock-bottom at the common scale while their white counterparts are paid way above the maximum of the common scale in what is termed an inducement band."
Disciplinary discrimination. A union/management subcommittee had, the MUN points out, confirmed the union's claim that white and black workers are treated differently when involved in safety incidents. "The former are just counselled while the latter receive harsh punitive actions ranging from final warnings to dismissals."
The union says it had proposed a moratorium on disciplinary action until measures to end discrimination had been agreed. On receiving this proposal, management unilaterally halted collective bargaining. The ending of race discrimination has been a major negotiating issue at Rio Tinto in Namibia over the eight years since the country gained its independence. But there is "no solution in sight to date," the union says. The company's unilateral halt to collective bargaining therefore amounts to a continuing entrenchment of racism.
The union is now seeking legal advice.
Namibia is by no means the only country where Rio Tinto is in trouble. The company is facing a broad-based worldwide campaign against its environmental damage and its violations of human rights. In particular, its attacks on trade union rights in many parts of the world have made it a priority target for networking by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). The MUN is an ICEM affiliate.