AngloGold, Gold Fields Face Court Battles Against Miners With Lung Disease

 Aug 19, 2011
AngloGold Ashanti Ltd.  and Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI) are among South African producers threatened with costly court battles as rights groups enlist thousands of former miners with work-related lung disease for a class-action suit. More on Bloomberg.

Shell’s poor safety record in the UK

from Sunday Herald, 21 August 2011
Shell has been officially censured for breaking safety rules 25 times in the last six years and has one of the worst safety records of the major oil companies in the UK, an investigation by the Sunday Herald has revealed. Read more.

Amnesty International ‘regrets’ accusing Aviva of investing in cluster bomb-makers

Yesterday, Amnesty International  said that it was mistaken in accusing Aviva, which trades in Ireland, of investing in cluster bombs. However, has it removed its claim RBS, a Global Compact participant, "recently agreed a US $80million (€56 million) loan to US companies that produce cluster munitions or their components?" To investigate.... 
Read more.

UN confirms massive oil pollution in Niger Delta | Amnesty International USA

UN confirms massive oil pollution in Niger Delta | Amnesty International USA

Supreme Court Set to Decide Corporate Liability for Human Rights Violations | AHN

Supreme Court Set to Decide Corporate Liability for Human Rights Violations | AHN

The Supreme Court is expected to decide within weeks whether it will hear a case on the liability of U.S. corporations for human rights violations in other countries. (...) The dispute came to a head in recent lawsuits against oil companies Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Exxon Mobil Corp. for their oil exploration in Nigeria and Indonesia.They are accused of trampling the health and livelihoods of native people and using soldiers to intimidate them.  Read more


Royal Dutch Shell PLC is considered as a 'founding father' by the UNGC. 

Statoil will admit to oilsands infractions - Business - CBC News

Statoil will admit to oilsands infractions - Business - CBC News

An Edmonton court has been told that Norwegian energy giant Statoil will admit to at least some environmental infractions in relation to its oilsands operations in northern Alberta (more from CBC News)

China to sue for oil leak compensation

China's maritime authority on Tuesday confirmed that it will sue companies responsible for oil leaks in the Bohai Bay. China's maritime authority on Tuesday confirmed that it will sue companies responsible for oil leaks in the Bohai Bay. (...) ConocoPhillips China, a subsidiary of US energy giant ConocoPhillips, first reported spills to authorities in June (...). Oil-drilling operations in the field are conducted by ConocoPhillips China, partnering with Global Compact participant China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). Read more. 

AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine Kills Galamsey Suspect

Wacam, a human rights and mining advocacy nongovernmental organisation, has condemned the killing of Kwame Eric, a galamsey suspect, at the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine. (...) "On Wednesday, 10th August, 2011, a security official working with Ghanatta Security Services which had been contracted by AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mine to provide security services at the mine's South Tailings Storage Facility at Dokyiwa, shot a 23-year old galamsey suspect by name, Kwame Eric. More...

New Zealand Leader Wants Brazil's Petrobras Out After Deadly Explosion

Manu Caddie, a Gisborne District Councilor in New Zealand, has renewed his call for the government to suspend the East Coast exploration permit for Brazilian state-controlled oil and gas multinational Petrobras following a lethal explosion at a Petrobras refinery in Argentina, which left an employee dead and another gravely wounded.
More...

Global Compact Critics: Roquette lockout ends after agreement reached with union members

Global Compact Critics: Roquette lockout ends after agreement reached with union members

Alcoa Mill Products to pay more than USD 540,000 to settle discrimination case with US Department of Labor

On August 2nd 2011, Alcoa Mill Products, a subsidiary of Global Compact participant Alcoa Inc, was ordered to pay more than USD 540,000 to settle a discrimination case with the U.S. Department of Labor (more  from the DoL...). Alcoa Mill Products Inc. would have to pay USD 484,656.19 in back wages to 37 Hispanics and African-Americans as well as USD 35,516.88 to two women who all were rejected for job positions at the company's plant in Lancaster, Pa. The settlement resolves a finding by the U.S. Department of Labor that the company discriminated against Hispanic, African-American and female applicants for material handler positions. Alcoa Mill Products is part of Alcoa Inc., the world's leading producer of aluminum.  

Shell Liable for Two 2008 Oil Spills in Nigeria

On August 3rd 2011, an article from the Guardian (U.K) reported Royal Dutch Shell plc accepted its liability for two major oil spills in Nigeria (more). This is occurring while a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report is expected  to be released  on the impacts of oil pollution in the Ogoniland region of the Niger Delta.

Dow Chemical Agrees to Pay $2.5 Million to Resolve Air, Water and Waste Violations at its Midland, Michigan Complex

On July 29th 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice today announced that Dow Chemical Company (Dow) has agreed to pay a USD 2.5 million civil penalty to settle alleged violations of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) at its chemical manufacturing and research complex in Midland, Mich. 
Read U.S. EPA News Release