Rio Tinto slammed for its union bashing tactics and abuse of precarious workers

1364
Argyle3 rdax
Argyle3 rdax

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and the Australian Workers Union (AWU) have slammed mining giant Rio Tinto at the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Melbourne on 8 May, branding it as “the worst industry offender” for its poor safety standards and unfair practices.

Image courtesy of http://www.riotinto.com. Photographer: Christian Sprogoe Photography  Date: 27 July 2009
Image courtesy of http://www.riotinto.com. Photographer: Christian Sprogoe Photography
Date: 27 July 2009

According to the article by IndustriALL, the protest against the company’s abuse of precarious workers, which took place outside, quickly spilt at the annual general meeting, with workers taking the floor to protest and demand for better working conditions and safety standards.

Rio Tinto has a long and well documented history of very public disputes with trade unions, communities, indigenous people and regulatory authorities.

This was the second protest at a Rio Tinto annual general meeting this year, after the one in London, where activists from IndustriALL Global Union, civil society organisations like London Mining Network, and a number of trade union leaders and protesters from around the world gathered outside the venue to show participants at the AGM the real face of the mining giant.

The company’s AGM in London coincided with the release of IndustriALL Global Union’s report Unsustainable: The ugly truth about Rio Tinto.

Adertisement

“By showing that Rio Tinto does not operate in a sustainable manner, we aim to force the company to live by its own claims. These are our members and we demand a safe workplace, freedom of association and a constructive dialogue with management,” Kemal Özkan, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL said on the report.

As was the case in London, Rio Tinto was also confronted by shareholders at its AGM in Melbourne for its violations of workers’ rights, abuse of indigenous peoples, abuse of the environment and overall unsustainable practices.

Rio Tinto is notorious for using precarious workers in its operations around the world. The company has been accused a number of times of preventing its workers from joining a union and allowing them to bargain collectively. Limiting precarious work is a central demand in IndustriALL’s ongoing global campaign against Rio Tinto.