Porgera shut by protests
Angry villagers succeeded in closing the Porgera gold mine in PNG's western highlands on August 16. Members of the Porgera River Alluvial Miners Association burned seven vehicles. The villagers were demanding greater compensation and protesting against pollution. PRAMA has been involved in a long dispute with Porgera over the tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment that enter the Porgera River each day. More than 100 villagers were arrested, but protesters later stormed the jail and released as many as 50 detainees.
The director of the Sydney-based Minerals Policy Institute, Chris Harris, said the protest again highlighted the need for controls on Australian mining companies operating overseas. Porgera was dumping tailings into the Porgera-Strickland-Fly river system with heavy metal levels thousands of times those permitted in Australia, Harris said.
South African minor on US death row
A black South African youngster, Azikiwe Kambule, is facing the death sentence in Mississippi. Azikiwe, whose case has been taken up by the National Coalition Against the Death Penalty (NACDP), emigrated to the US with his mother two years ago. He was doing well in school when he was arrested for the shooting of the victim in a car-jacking attempt.
Azikiwe was not even within earshot of the shooting. Despite his cooperating fully with the police after his alleged accomplices fled, a predominantly white jury found him guilty. Under Mississippi law, he is liable to be put to death even though he is a minor. The US is one of a handful of countries which allows the execution of minors.
The NACDP is campaigning to have the jury's decision reversed and stop the killing of minors. Pressure can be put on the office of the district attorney: write to James Kitchens Esq, Madison County, PO Box 121, Canton, MS 39046, or fax 1 601 859-8880.
Oil companies attack Turkish unionists
Oil multinationals Shell, Mobil and BP are facing a boycott in Turkey over their attacks on trade union rights. The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions said on August 14 that for several years major oil companies have been mounting attacks on trade union representation of their work forces wherever national laws allow such tactics. The latest example is Turkey.
As in the other cases, the derecognition campaign is being led by Shell, although both Mobil and BP are active participants. Turkish workers in the three companies are represented by Petrol-Is, the ICEM-affiliated Petroleum, Chemical and Rubber Workers Trade Union of Turkey. The entire labour movement of Turkey has mounted a national boycott campaign against the three companies. The boycott is supported by the national trade union confederations Turk-Is, DISK and Hak-Is. Also supporting the campaign, are engineer and architect organisations, medical organisations and consumer groups.
Turkish oil workers have been threatened with dismissal if they do not quit the union and at the same time been offered immediate pay rises if they give up their union membership, Petrol-Is reports. It also says the companies have handed some workers envelopes containing cash as a reward for leaving the union.
Mandela confirms retirement plans
South African President Nelson Mandela has announced he will not seek re-election as ANC president at next year's ANC national congress. Mandela has also repeatedly said he will retire as South African president at the 1999 elections. His decision to give up the ANC presidency, announced after a meeting of the ANC's national executive committee on August 18, means Thabo Mbeki is almost certain to replace Mandela as ANC president and seal his position as South Africa's president-designate.
Zimbabwe public servants strike
Government offices in Zimbabwe were shut on August 20 by an indefinite national strike. The doors of Harare's twin 22-storey government buildings, where most ministries have their offices, were locked. The capital's main hospital was kept open by Red Cross volunteers and doctors and staff from the medical corps of the army.
Unions estimated that 95,000 of Zimbabwe's 160,000 public servants stopped work. About 2000 government workers gathered at Africa Unity Square in the city centre to press their demand for higher pay. Union leaders described the government's offer of increases of 3-8% as "pathetic". Unions are demanding a minimum rise of 30%.