12 timer på arbejde, endog 18 timer i træk er ikke ualmindeligt i det sydafrikanske lands kinesisk-ejede kobberminer
LUSAKA, 3rd November 2011: Chinese-run copper mining companies in Zambia routinely flout (overtræder) labor laws and regulations designed to protect workers’ safety and the right to organize, Human Rights Watch said in a report Thursday.
Zambia’s newly elected president, Michael Sata, a longtime critic of the Chinese labor practices, should act on his campaign promises to end the abuse and improve government regulation of the mining industry to ensure that all companies respect Zambia’s labor laws, the watchdog concludes.
The 122-page report, “‘You’ll Be Fired If You Refuse’: Labor Abuses in Zambia’s Chinese State-owned Copper Mines,” details the persistent abuses in Chinese-run mines.
These include poor health and safety conditions, regular 12-hour and even 18-hour shifts involving arduous labor, and anti-union activities, all in violation of Zambia’s national laws or international labor standards.
The four Chinese-run copper mining companies in Zambia are subsidiaries of China Non-Ferrous Metals Mining Corporation, a state-owned enterprise under the authority of China’s highest executive body.
Copper mining is the lifeblood of the Zambian economy, contributing nearly 75 percent of the country’s exports and two-thirds of the central government revenue.
– China’s significant investment in Zambia’s copper mining industry can benefit both Chinese and Zambians, said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch, adding:
– But the miners in Chinese-run companies have been subject to abusive health, safety, and labor conditions and longtime government indifference.
Læs videre på http://www.hrw.org/node/102667
Begynd fra “The report is based on research…”
