The Dark Side of Mining Corporations

Workers from Freeport's Grasberg mine, supported by villagers and relatives of men who were killed in a shooting last week near the mine in Papua, continue their strike in Indonesia's Papua province. Freeport halted copper and gold production on Monday at the mine; three more men were reported shot Friday by unidentified gunmen. REUTERS/Muhamamd Yamin - Workers from Freeport's Grasberg mine, supported by villagers and relatives of men who were killed in a shooting last week near the mine in Papua, continue their strike in Indonesia's Papua province. Freeport halted copper and gold production on Monday at the mine; three more men were reported shot Friday by unidentified gunmen. REUTERS/Muhamamd Yamin | REUTERSMany underground miners in third world countries are forced to work in dangerous working conditions with low wages. This is caused by foreign corporations’ thirst for profit, while at the same time ignoring the ethical responsibilities of a business. Indonesian miners of the Grasberg mine owned by Freeport McMoran, are the victims of the company’s failure to be ethically responsible. Thousands of workers began a protest a month ago, demanding better working conditions and wages.  Eventually, the problem seemingly escalated, as it led to the deaths of seven people as they were shot by unidentified gunmen.

We see similar cases about unfortunate miners being killed either by hired gunmen or collapsed mine before on the news such as the Copiapó mining accident. However, nothing is being done to help the workers, as these powerful corporations have a strong presence in third world countries. When jobs are offered to the unemployed in these countries, it appears to be that the corporations are helping them by creating jobs. However, this may be quite deceiving, as corporations have previously used these workers to perform tasks, sometimes dangerous to their health, without adequate compensation, at a profit for the business.

 

Source: Globe and Mail          Picture

 

 

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