Rio Tinto under the microscope
By Karen Burns
NEWCASTLE — About 25 people attended a workshop on May 16 to discuss the activities of the mining company Rio Tinto. Speakers included Moses Havini from the Bougainville Interim Government; representatives from the CFMEU and the mining industry watch-dog, the Mineral Policy Institute; and Paul Toner from Australia-Asia Solidarity Network.
The common factor in the war in Bougainville, the industrial disputes in the Hunter Valley coal industry, and the violation of human and indigenous rights in Kalimantan and West Papua, has been the presence of Rio Tinto.
Rio Tinto is the largest mining company in the world. It is well known for its continual attempts to get rid of unions at its workplaces.
Rio Tinto is a major shareholder in Bougainville Copper Ltd, whose operations on Bougainville were at the centre of the dispute between the PNG government and local land-holders that led to the war on Bougainville.
Rio Tinto is also a shareholder in the Freeport mine in West Papua, whose operations have been criticised internationally for violating the rights of people living in the area. Community Aid Abroad has also raised concerns about the company's operations in Kalimantan.
The aim of the Newcastle workshop was to develop strategies to counter the company's violations of human, labour and indigenous rights.