My Blog List

Saturday, June 30, 2012

BP to settle spill-related gender bias case

BP and some of its contractors will pay $5.4 million to settle a federal investigation of allegations that women were denied jobs cleaning up after the 2010 oil spill because of their gender. More on Chron.com British Petroleum plc (NYSE:BP)(LSE:BP) (BP) is a Global Compact participant and founding father since 2000/07/26.

70,000 employees at Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo Group set to strike

More than 70,000 employees from Intesa Sanpaolo Group are ready to strike in Italy on Monday, July 2nd. The strike, the first since the 2007 merger, was announced on June 19th by Italian UNI Finance affiliated unions, after a confrontation with the company lasted about one month. Intesa Sanpaolo has announced that it will not respect the agreement reached with the unions on July 29th 2011, related to the Business Plan 2011-13, but it failed to introduce a new one. More on Uni Global Union website. Intesa Sanpaolo(ISP:BrsaItaliana) is a Global Compact participant since 2003/04/24.

Nestlé subsidiary facing fine after worker's death

A Nestlé subsidiary is facing fines of almost three quarters of a million dollars following the death of a worker at its Massachusetts production plant. More on Food Production Daily. Nestle is a Global Compact participant since 2001/02/20. Nestle was a Gold Contributor of the Foundation for the Global Compact in 2009 and 2010.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Mercedes could quit F1 over bribery scandal

Formula One’s high profile bribery scandal could cause German carmaker Mercedes to quit the sport. More on Yalla1.com Mercedes is a division of Daimler AG(DAI:Xetra), a Global Compact participant since 2000/07/26. Daimler was a Gold Contributor to the Foundation for the Global Compact in 2008.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Microsoft investigating report of child labor violations in China

An investigation released Tuesday by the non-profit National Labor Committee reported that Microsoft's hardware division has been contracting with a factory in China that recruits teenagers as young as 14 who work under abusive conditions in 15-hour daily shifts for as little as 52 cents an hour, after deductions for factory food. More on Business Journal. Microsoft Corp. is a Global Compact participant since 2006/11/08.

Black steel worker wins $25m damages after years of racist abuse by co-workers

A federal jury has awarded $25 million in damages to a U.S. steel plant employee who says his bosses at Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal failed to stop years of racial taunts and insults from co-workers. Read more: on Dailymail ArcelorMittal is a Global Compact participant since 2003/09/03. ArcelorMittal was a Gold Contributor for the Foundation of the Global Compact in 2012.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Siemens will pay for corrupt practices in Greece

German electronics company Siemens has agreed to pay about 270 million euro to the Greek state in order to settle a legal action over bribing Greek officials. More on Russia Today. Siemens (SIE:GR) is a Global Compact participant since 26-11-2003.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Ford, GM and BMW linked to illegal logging and slave labour in Brazil

Car makers source iron from Brazil that contributes to Amazon deforestation, says Greenpeace ahead of Rio+20. Ford, GM and BMW are sourcing material from Brazil that is driving illegal logging and slave labour, according to campaigners at Greenpeace. More on the Guardian. Read the Greenpeace Report "Driving Destruction in the Amazon". BMW (BMW:Xetra) is a Global Compact participant since 2001/07/25, while Ford (F:NYSE) since 2008/05/01.

Banana Plantation Workers Sue Dole, Dow & Chiquita for Exposing Them to DBCP – Cancer Causing Pesticide

Hundreds of Latin American plantation workers claimed in court that Dole Foods, Chiquita, Dow Chemicals and other multinational companies deliberately exposed them to dibromochloropropane (DBCP). DBCP is a pesticide known to cause cancer and sterility. DBCP is banned in the United States. More on Job Mouse Shell Oil,the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, is also a defendant in the case. Dutch Shell plc is a founding fathers of the U.N. Global Compact since 2000/07/26. Shell (RDSA:LSE) was a 'Platinum Contributor' of the Foundation for the Global Compact in 2010. The Dow Chemical Company (DOW:NYSE) is a Global Compact participant since 2007/05/24. Dow was a Gold Contributor of the Foundation for the Global Compact in 2012, 2011, 2010,and a 'Platinum' contributor in 2009,

Deutsche Telekom CSR Report “Misleading”

The “Corporate Social Responsibility” report released last week by German telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom contains misleading corporate spin, according to the ITUC. The report claims that, on issues such as training, employment and offshoring, “Of course, we involve employee representatives when making all of these decisions.” More on the International Trade Union Confederation(ITUC) website. Deutsche Telekom is a Global Compact participant since 2000/07/26. The company's report is listed as "Global Compact Advanced" on the Global Compact website, based on unchecked self declarations from the company.

Criminal convictions for corruption and influence peddling in telecommunications contracts in Algeria [ZTE Corporation - Huawei Technologies ]

On 6 June 2012, three Chinese nationals, employees of ZTE Algérie et Huawei Algérie, subsidiaries of the Chinese telecommunications companies ZTE and Huawei, were convicted of influence trafficking by Judge Saloua Derbouchi in the Algerian court. The men, Xiao Chunfa of Huawei and Chen Zhibao and Dong Tao of ZTE, were sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison, and fined approximately USD 65,000. More on Trace International. Both ZTE (763:Hong Kong) Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. since 2009/02/17 and 2004/11/09 respectively.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Bombardier denies reports of wrongdoing in South African contract win

Bombardier Transportation confirmed that it paid a Tunisian businessman to act as an intermediary as it worked to secure a contract in South Africa, a process it says is common place in unfamiliar countries, but denies reports of wrongdoing. More on Yahoo News. More on the Mail&Guardian. Bombardier Inc.(TSX:BBD.B) is a Global Compact participant since 2007/03/17. Bombardier Inc. was a Gold Contributor to the Foundation for the Global Compact in 2012 and 2011.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Vale charged in fatal Ontario mine tragedy

Health and safety charges have been laid against a mining company and one of its supervisors in the deaths of two Sudbury, Ont., miners, provincial Labour Minister Matt Blajer announced in a news release Thursday. Both workers were killed when a torrent of wet mud and ore flooded the tunnel where they were working at Vale's Stobie Mine in Sudbury on June 8, 2011. More on CBC News. Official corporate info on Vale's Sudbury operations. Vale (VALE5:BM&FBOVESPA) is a Global Compact participant since 2007/09/12 Vale was a USD 20,000-100,000 contributor to the Foundation for the Global Compact in 2009.

Chile’s Native Communities Find Ally in Supreme Court

On Apr. 27, a Supreme Court in Chile upheld an earlier decision by an appeals court, which had cancelled the environmental permit granted to the Canadian mining giant Goldcorp for its El Morro gold and copper mine in the northern Chilean region of Atacama. The company reported that it had brought all work at El Morro to a halt, in line with the verdict handed down by the Court, which ordered it to consult with the small Diaguita de los Huascoaltinos indigenous agricultural community before carrying out any activity in their territory. More on IPS. Goldcorp (G:TSX), (GG:NYSE) is a Global Compact participant since 2009/06/09.

Brazil prosecutors seek payment from Shell, BASF

On May 30th 2012, Brazilian prosecutors said that they asked a court to force oil company Shell and the world's largest chemical company, BASF, to immediately pay $500 million into a compensation fund for hundreds of workers who may have been contaminated at an agricultural chemicals plant. More on Bloomberg. Royal Dutch Shell plc is a founding fathers of the U.N. Global Compact since 2000/07/26. Shell (RDSA:LSE) was a 'Platinum Contributor' of the Foundation for the Global Compact in 2010. BASF -BASF AG (ADR)-, BAS:Xetra is also a Founding Father of the Global Compact since 2000.