On 4 June parliamentarians called on the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to declare why the agency has not yet published the results of a 22 May EPA investigation into the allegations.

Firestone’s Liberia rubber concession is the second largest rubber producer in Africa and employs some 14,000 Liberians.

Reisdents of the town of Kpanyarh, just next to Firestone’s rubber plantation in Harbel, say the creek from which they fish, and drink their water in the dry season, has been contaminated with toxins.

“We used to fish and drink the water,” 67-year-old Kpanyarh resident John Powell told IRIN on a visit to the creek which runs just outside the town. He said the water became toxic in October 2008. “We can’t drink it any longer. Some of our people have already died from this.
We have drawn Firestone’s attention to our plight but they have ignored it.”

Residents are falling ill with diarrhea after drinking at the site, and at least three have died as a result of drinking the polluted water, since it first emitted toxins in October 2008, Powell said.

In mid-May on an IRIN visit to the area, acidic fumes emanating from the creek caused people’s eyes to water and made it difficult to breathe.

Mary Sackie, 49, a fisherwoman who chairs a local women’s group in the town, said she used to earn as much as US$10 a day from fishing in the river but since it became polluted she has given this up and does petty trade instead.

“[Fishing] is how we used to feed our families, but since the water got polluted life is very unbearable,” Sackie said. “All the fish died… even our wells are now affected. We lack good drinking water.”

After receiving complaints from residents the EPA sent a team of environmental experts to the site, according to EPA Director Jerome Nyenkan.

“It was established that many creeks are polluted and they could no longer be used by the local people.” He said EPA is “troubled” about Kpanyarh residents’ situation.

“The Environmental laws of Liberia are very clear on this. Any institution or person who discharges toxic waste and/or dangerous substances into any water body leading to the death of marine creatures or even harming people, will be fined $50,000 or subject to a jail sentence,” said Nyenkan.

Under Liberian law the person or institution responsible for the pollution must also restore resources to an appropriate standard.

In a 3 June statement sent to IRIN Firestone Rubber said: “Firestone Liberia is committed to protecting the health and welfare of our employees, neighbours and fellow citizens of Liberia… That commitment includes our treatment of the water used in our plant.”

The operations includes a multi-million-dollar water treatment facility which was developed in collaboration with Robert Knight, a wetlands expert, according to the statement provided by Rufus Kormoh, Firestone’s Liberia spokesperson.

Since the facility was set up, tests have confirmed water quality is
“excellent”, it says.

Relations between Liberians and Firestone Rubber have been bitter for years, with a series of strikes and allegations from community members and staff of destruction of the ecosystem, unbearable living and working conditions and child labour. Communities have also charged that the company has reneged on its corporate social responsibilities.

In August 2008 the Firestone Agricultural Workers’ Union of Liberia negotiated a new labour agreement with the company, which calls for improved wages, health and safety and housing and education standards.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84712

The nation’s first major foreign investment, Firestone, has often stood accused of inflicting deadly injury to the human person. From charges of forced labor, bad labor practices to bad investment practices, the world’s once biggest rubber plantation hardly spends a single day of its 83 years of business in the country without inflicting one unbearable pain or another upon ordinary Liberians. Despite an avalanche of tears and protests, Firestone’s “cruelty”, as others describe it is not getting any better. Even now, citizens in Firestone-held areas are not ceasing their lamentations for what they consider the company’s “toxic-driven massacre” taking place on the daily basis, with casualty figures prominently high amongst women and children. Though the Company invariably denies these allegations, a weekend reportorial tour by Editor-In-Chief J. Lyndon Ponnie found unbearable environmental and health situations for which a Liberian civil society group, Green Advocates, is threatening a law suit.

In the last couple of months, Firestone has issued a horde of advertisements painting the picture of improving its social service delivery and other corporate commitments to its employees who have long survived a degrading human condition under draconian labor practices.

The apparent avert-bearing brags of the world’s leading rubber company come since its advent 1926, about 83 years ago, a period characterized only by the exportation of latex.

Besides charges of bad labor practice, forced labor and other inhuman corporate policies, for it has faced various civil tribunals, Firestone has also come under serious criticism for environmental degradation, particularly caused by toxic liquids that its latex-purification machinery spews and inundates into the Farmington River.

A suit against Firestone has been lingering in the United States of America, the origin of the Company.

After environmental groups including Green Advocates mounted pressure on the company to halt the dumping of toxic waste into nearby communities, Firestone promised to cleanup the area.

But just one year later, Firestone has diverted its toxic waste this time causing damage to the various streams in and around its operational area.

Now the citizens of one of the several villages affected by toxic waters, Kpanyan Town, have alarmed, stating that toxic contents being diverted into their creeks by Firestone, is causing sicknesses that often lead to death.

The citizens are petitioning the Environmental Lawyers of Liberia, Green Advocates, to represent their interest in stopping Firestone from “Killing them”.

During a tour of the affected areas including Division 45, a team of journalists that was taken to the area by representatives of Kpanyan and Green Advocates, were confronted with the pollution and its toxic effect.

The hazard created by the Firestone toxic in the communities is so severe that one does not have to be an environmental expert to see and feel the damage done by Firestone.

The team of journalists that visited the area over the weekend had to quickly leave Division 45 due to effect of toxic wastes flowing through the pipes and pouring into the streams.

Some of the journalists began experiencing the impact, including respiratory difficulties and running noses.

Dan Adomitis, an official of Firestone sometimes ago told a US media institution that Firestone is currently making a substantial investment to construct a new wastewater treatment plant to ensure that any water discharged from its operations will be re-routed away from the Farmington River, through equalization and clarification tanks, and into constructed wetlands for treatment.

This project, he said, was under construction and would meet the environmental standards for water quality in the United States or any other developed country.

Adomitis also stated that Firestone was committed to protecting the health and welfare of its employees.

Firestone Liberia, he said, uses common fertilizers and other products to nurture the trees. These products, according to him are used in a safe and effective manner.

“We will continue to operate in a manner that focuses on and improves the safety and health of our employees and our Liberian neighbors,” the Firestone official said.

The International Labor Rights Fund has filed a lawsuit against the Firestone Natural Rubber Co., but Adomitis said the fact of a filing does not mean that the claims contained in a lawsuit are truthful or accurate.

Dave Zirin of the International Labor Rights Fund in reaction to the Firestone official said official policy of the company doesn’t match plantation reality. Zirin said it’s on the environment that Adomitis really tips his hand. He said Firestone’s wastewater treatment plant comes after 81 years of dumping toxic waste into rivers used by the Liberian people for bathing, fishing and drinking.

“Now the area around the Farmington River is home to a host of health problems. The meticulously documented truth is that toxic-waste dumping has been regular practice for years,” he said.

The fact that the Liberian Environmental Protection Agency–a government organization–cited Firestone is particularly damning, given the very sweet relationship between Firestone and the government.

He indicated that Firestone was not just polluting the environment, but was also engaged in abusing child labor. Far from unfounded allegations, affidavits are readily available from child laborers who toiled on the Firestone plantation.

Latest discovery of pipes pumping toxic waste into streams being used by residents in and around the plantation for drinking has reawaken the allegation against the American company of not just destroying the waters of Liberia, but causing damage to the soil that is being toiled by the residents of the area for survival. It is not clear whether Firestone obtained permit from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to divert its waste into the stream in Division 45. EPA officials could not readily be contacted.

An elder of Kpanyan Town, Wilfred Davies, expressed rage for Firestone gross disregard for the residents of the area.

Davies told a visiting team of journalists that Kpanyan Town existed before Firestone came to Liberia in 1926.

He said, “We called you here to see the suffering we are going through in the hands of Firestone.”

Wilfred Davies indicated that after several complaints Firestone managed to build a few hand pumps in the area to substitute for the damage it caused to their drinking water.

The town elder said when the officials of Firestone went to dedicate the hand pumps, they could not even drink the water from the pumps because, apparently, they were not sure the water they were providing the villagers was safe for human consumption.

He said the residents have also refused to drink it due to the proximity to the contaminated streams.

Elder Davies narrated that three persons died months ago allegedly after drinking from the creeks. He also said others are still sick from drinking the polluted water.

“This is a complete massacre,” he said. “We want the world to know that massacres are ongoing on in our villages, not from guns but from Firestone-polluted streams.”

In Ma Zoe Town one of the villages comprising Kpanyan Town, a female resident, Tenneh Gbutuah, showed her teenage daughter who she said is suffering from continuous running stomach from drinking the water from the area.

She said, “Firestone only came here to kill us while our government is only watching the show.”

She called on Government to act and to act quickly or it will be too late.

She said something must be done to stop Firestone’s aggression against poor and defenseless people.

The Chief Campaigner of Green Advocates, Alfred Brownell, said he had gone to the area to see and know the problems of the affected residents.

Brownell said his group has been battling Firestone to ensure the right of the people to conductive environmental conditions.

He expressed disappointment over the fact that Firestone, which had agreed to divert toxic wastes from Farmington and clean up the waters, has again chosen to divert their killer wastes into the streams which thousands of villagers rely on for survival.

He said his organization is working to determine the fullness of the claims of the villagers after which he would pursue litigation against Firestone in the interest of the impoverished people.

“How can a company dump its wastes on the poor villagers in such an unsavory condition,” he alarmed.

http://www.publicagendanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=972:were-dying-from-toxic-waters&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=2

Residents of about six towns few miles from Harbel, the headquarters of the largest rubber plantations company in Africa, Firestone are struggling with the situation of water pollution as the company discharges the huge wastes produced from the processing of raw rubber for export into nearby creeks used by local residents for drinking.

Firestone has been associated with pollution for decades with human rights organizations and environmental groupings standing firm against the company to properly dispose of chemicals used in the processing of its rubber.

Few years ago it was the large body of water that occupies majority of Margibi County that was the center of argument when Firestone disposed of wastes in the Farmington River affecting large number of people who relied on the river for fresh food such as fish and other edible foods, including water for drinking and other uses.

The Farmington pollution incident resulted to several lawsuits against Firestone mainly in the United States of America where the main headquarters of the company is located by human rights groups and environmental organizations pressuring the company to find a suitable means of disposing the wastes from the laboratories and local factories at the Plantation.

Owensgrove was the main point of concentration as residents in this vicinity were suffering the aftermath of the pollution caused by the dumping of chemicals in nearby creeks and streams.

With the huge public outcries against the pollution, residents of Owensgrove are now breathing fresh air and free from the pollution but it is now the of residents of Kparn Yah Town and surrounding villages who are now struggling to cope with the dumping of chemicals through about 12 large size pumps into a mini flowing water which later meanders into other bodies of waters within the neighborhoods of the six towns.

During a tour of the affected villages at the weekend along with a team from the Green Advocate, a team of Environmental Lawyers that have been pursuing lawsuits against Firestone in the past, the residents explained how the situation is hampering their livelihood.

Don Jar, an elderly woman in an angry tone remarked: “Firestone want for us to die so they finished putting all the bad bad things in our water. So we just suppose to die now because nothing we can do, our basket can catch fish again”.

Wilfred Davis, explaining the pollution said about two years ago, they noticed that Firestone was dumping wastes from the clinics and into a valley near the towns which he said was causing serious pollution problem for them.

“Since Firestone came here in 1922, this Kparnyah town community been here, but since they started operation, we cannot benefit anything from them only for us to see in 2002, they started dumping wastes from their hospitals and bungalows into a valley where most of the creeks here come from and enter all the water. All the places you see here are flooded area and when it rain, the water will carry all the toxic wastes making people sick”

He said after Firestone was pushed from Owensgrove where they were initially dumping their wastes, they moved into the Kparnyah Town Community and directed the pipes into the location of their community.

The Kparnyah citizens’ representative said the residents have complained to local county officials including the superintendent, lawmakers and others to help prevail on Firestone to stop disposing of chemicals in their water.

“After complaining plenty time, Firestone asked us what you want for us to do for you and we told them look, we want clinic, six hand pumps to give us drinking water but they put all that things one side and brought this one hand pump which is smelling with rubber, we cannot even drink from it and we can go way to Harbel to get drinking water”, Davis narrated.

Davis revealed that about three persons have now died from drinking the water and several others are sick from coming in contact with the water.

“We are worrying now, because when the rain season comes, the water will flow all over here and everybody will touch the chemicals in the water, plenty people will get sick and people will die”, Davis observed.

Tene Kuton, another, middle age woman described the Firestone Pollution as simply attempting to kill the entire 35,000 residents of the Kparnyah town area.

Ms. Kuton holding a three year old daughter said the little girl was thirsty about two days ago had to drink some of the water because there was no drinking water available.

“You see my daughter, when I went to Harbel for drinking water; she could not wait for me because she was thirsty and took some water to drink. You can see her, her stomach has been running for two days now. She is very sick, let Firestone come and just kill us”, Ms. Kuton cried out.

She explained that walking up to an hour to get water from Harbel for drinking is causing hardship for her, stating that their drinking is now restricted in order to manage the drinking water.

Ms. Kuton says “We have to give the children the water to drink and sometimes when they come for drinking water, we say no you cannot drink now until food is ready just to safe the small water for us to not walk long distance again”.

We Will listen to You and Build A case

Attorney Alfred Brownell of Green Advocate, an association of environmental lawyer working to protect the environment told the resident of Kparnyah Town and surrounding villages that his organization will listen to the concerns expressed people affected and build a case against Firestone.

“We already sued Firestone in the United States and that case is on, so we are here to see what is really happening, listen to you and build a case against Firestone and some of what we have seen will serve as evidence in court”, Attorney Brownell stated.

The Green Advocate lawyer noted that his organization has been on the back of Firestone on the issue of wastes disposal for many years and is surprise that the company is yet to manage wastes well.

“When we saw what was happening in Owensgrove, we took issue with Firestone and forced her to stop polluting that area. They told us that they were going to build a processing plant to process the wastes and ensure that it does not enter the creeks around here but they have failed to do so, only to divert the pipes from Oensgrove to another location but we will pursue this and make sure they stop harming people around here”, Attorney Brownell expressed.

He observed that Firestone is looking at the cost of building a processing plant for the wastes and is deposing of them in the environment, caring less about the impact on lives.

“All we want is to have the facts that in deed people are suffering because of pollution so we do not want to you lie, say the truth because when you lie to us, we will not have anything to prove against Firestone, just explain what this pollution is causing for you and we will deal with it to protect you and the environment”, Attorney Brownell vowed.

He said besides polluting the water, the chemicals might have effect on the vegetation around the affected areas, noting that Firestone did not conduct environmental assessment before deposing of the harmful chemical in the places inhabited by humans.

The Kparnyah Town residents explained that due to the pollution, they are now afraid to drink water from the only hand pump constructed by firestone and are now walking to Harbel to get drinking water.

“We have advised our people to stop drinking from that well, look when I go there now and bring you water from there, you will smell the rubber and the stinking odor from the chemicals, so that pump is not useful to us”, Daniel Sumo, a representative of the youths of Kparnyah Town told journalists.

Sumo said they are concerned about the future when the pollution persists in the area for more than two to three years, noting that even plants might start to die due to the polluted water.

“We don’t want money from Firestone, we are talking about life what happens after two to three years, no trees will grow here, how our people will make farm to survive”, the Kaprnyah Town youth lamented.

The Firestone Plantation company could not be reached for comment as its Public Relations Officer; Rufus Karmoh said he was not at the plantations but in Monrovia attending to some business.

More details on the Firestone Pollution in subsequent postings.

http://www.frontpageafrica.com/newsmanager/anmviewer.asp?a=8997&z=3

Nine months ago, the management of Firestone Rubber Plantation in Liberia and the workers union signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Among the issues covered under the agreement was pay raise for the workers and the controversial high daily production requirement known as quota and child labor.

Now the workers say Firestone is moving slowly in implementing the agreement. Edwin Cisco, secretary general of the Firestone Agriculture Workers Union of Liberia (FAWUL) told VOA it appears Firestone does not want change.

“Most of the issues that we raised in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, issues relating to quota, issues relating to transportation for kids for school, issues relating to bonuses for workers in the factories, issues relating to the mode of transportation for the latex, those issues have not been implemented by the company,” he said.

Cisco said the union, through its international partners will continue to put pressure on Firestone until the CBA is fully implemented.

“Firestone over the years has more or less been single-handedly being controlling the situation, and may not want to change. And that is why we continue to put pressure on them. Our international partners are also concerned concerning this agreement…that is why we are also here to give an update of what is obtaining on the plantation and to make the management to do what is right,” Cisco said.

During 82 years of its existence in Liberia, Firestone mandated its workers to meet a very high daily production quota which forced the workers to bring their children and wives to help them meet the daily quota.

Cisco said Firestone has yet to completely implement the issue of quota and its resulting child labor.

“We cannot come up to tell you that the issue of child labor is a foregone conclusion on the plantation because this is an open secret all over. And the basis for the issue of child labor is because of the quota system that workers have to complete on a daily basis. And that issue has not been thoroughly implemented by the company. Workers still have to hire extra hand, carrying their kids in the fields,” Cisco said

He said the union will re-engage the government through the ministry of labor before deciding what to do next.

“We have raised these issues with the government. We have our documentations that we have engaged the company on several occasions. We were told that we should do verification; we have done the verification…and up to the present we have not seen anything going on so far. And so we are going to re-engage the government to see how far they have gone with this issue. And if this is not done, then we will take the necessary steps to ensure that our workers receive just retribution in these issues,” Cisco said.

He said the global economic downturn has had an impact on the union as Firestone has been laying off workers without getting the union involved.

“Right now as I speak to you, we have the entire quality assurance department at the factory has been closed down. Some workers were shifted over and some workers were laid off. Not only the quality assurance, but other department workers have been laid off even though the management has not given us any information as it relates to any mass redundancy,” he said.

Cisco said the union’s main concern is for Firestone to implement the Collective Bargaining Agreement that was signed last year.

He and the union president were in the United States to attend the World Rubber Industry conference which was held last week in Nashville, Tennessee.

http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2009-05-22-voa7.cfm

For over 80 years, the Bridgestone Firestone tire company has owned the world’s largest rubber plantation in Liberia.  Child labor, widespread abuse of worker’s rights and environmental destruction have characterized the plantation for generations.  But workers and communities affected by Firestone’s abuses are fighting back.  Come hear the leaders of the union representing Firestone workers in Liberia and one of Liberia’s leading environmental  rights lawyer discuss their fight for economic and environmental justice – and find out how you can support their struggle!

WEDNESDAY, May 20th

12:30 - 2:00 PM

Institute for Policy Studies

1112 16th Street NW , Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036

Mr. Edwin B. Cisco is the Secretary General of the Firestone Agricultural Workers Union of Liberia (FAWUL) and National Coordinator in Liberia for the Swedish Pan African Trade Union Education Project (PANAF) of the LO/TCO based in Sweden.

Mr. Alfred Brownell is the President of the Association of Environmental Lawyers of Liberia (Green Advocates), a Liberia-based organization dedicated to advocating for strong environmental laws, working to enforce existing laws and empowering citizens to participate in environmental decision-making.  Mr. Brownell is also a member of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) International Board.

This event is sponsored by The Institute for Policy Studies, International Labor Rights Forum and The Stop Firestone Coalition

For more information, please visit www.StopFirestone.org or call 202 234-9382×232

]]> http://www.stopfirestone.org/2009/05/liberian-activists-back-in-dc-wed-520-at-1230pm/feed/ http://www.stopfirestone.org/2009/05/meet-liberian-activists-in-dc-this-saturday-may-16th/ http://www.stopfirestone.org/2009/05/meet-liberian-activists-in-dc-this-saturday-may-16th/#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 19:22:50 +0000 Tim http://www.stopfirestone.org/?p=70 For over 80 years, the Bridgestone Firestone tire company has owned the world’s largest rubber plantation in Liberia. Child labor, widespread abuse of worker’s rights and environmental destruction have characterized the plantation for generations. But workers and communities affected by Firestone’s abuses are fighting back. Come hear the leaders of the union representing Firestone workers in Liberia and a leading environmental advocate discuss their fight for economic and environmental justice – and find out how you can support their struggle!

THIS SATURDAY, May 16^th

4 – 6 PM

Busboys and Poets, 5^th and K St. NW

1025 5th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001

Mr. Austin S. Natee is the President of the Firestone Agricultural Workers Union of Liberia (FAWUL), the union representing workers on the Firestone rubber plantation in Liberia.

Mr. Edwin B. Cisco is the Secretary General of the Firestone Agricultural Workers Union of Liberia (FAWUL) and National Coordinator in Liberia for the Swedish Pan African Trade Union Education Project (PANAF) of the LO/TCO based in Sweden.

Mr. Alfred Brownell is the President of the Association of Environmental Lawyers of Liberia (Green Advocates), a Liberia-based organization dedicated to advocating for strong environmental laws, working to enforce existing laws and empowering citizens to participate in environmental decision-making.  Mr. Brownell is also a member of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) International Board.

Sponsored by the International Labor Rights Forum

For more information, please visit www.StopFirestone.org!

For more information, please call ILRF at +1-202-347-4100.

Since 1926, Bridgestone Firestone has operated the world’s largest rubber plantation in Harbel, Liberia. Workers on the plantation have long faced incredibly poor living and working conditions. Firestone rubber tappers live in crowded shacks without running water, electricity or indoor latrines and are required to meet an unreasonably high production quota in order to receive their meager pay.

After a long struggle, workers finally held the first free and fair union election and signed their first contract negotiated by a democratically elected and independent union leadership in August 2008. The agreement was a major step forward in the long struggle of workers to protect their rights. However, since the time the agreement was signed, Firestone management has failed to implement many of the important improvements in the new contract.

For example, the new contract reduced the size of the production quota, but many workers throughout the plantation report that they are still being forced to produce at the old quota level which means they must hire subcontractors or use the labor of their family members in order to finish their work and be paid. Firestone has also not fully implemented health and safety improvements in the new contract and has not provided transportation for all of the children on the plantation to access schools as the contract says they should.

For more information about the struggle of workers on the Firestone plantation to form a democratic and independent union, check out this video.

For more information about Bridgestone Firestone’s marketing partnership with the NFL, please click here.

Liberia

Apart from the implementation of the law on the right to strike, the vital reforms to labour law promised by the government have not yet materialised. At the end of the year, the Supreme Court recognised the trade union representing the 4,700 employees of the Firestone plantation, despite the management’s last-minute attempts to block the recognition.

Trade union rights in law

Serious clashes between labour law and trade union rights: The ILO repeated its request that the government bring its legislation into line with conventions 87 and 98, stressing the seriousness of the following problems:

• Employees of state-run enterprises and the civil service cannot form trade unions. Agricultural workers are not allowed to join industrial unions. The government’s Labour Practices Review Board has the right to supervise trade union elections.
• There are currently no adequate provisions or sanctions to guarantee workers adequate protection against discrimination during recruitment or at work, nor against interference in union affairs by employers and their organisations. Workers in state enterprises do not have collective bargaining rights.

Step towards reforming labour law: At the end of 2006, the Labour Minister promised a major reform of labour legislation. A law adopted in October 2006 that came into force in 2007 annulled Decree 12 of 1980, which had banned strikes.

Trade union rights in practice and Violations in 2007

Background: The country’s infrastructure still needs to be re-built following the civil war. Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is at work and the trial of former president Charles Taylor started in The Hague. A large UN peace-keeping force is still based in the country. The lifting of embargos on wood and diamond exports is expected to re-launch the country’s economy.

Repression of a strike at Firestone: On 27 April, the police brutally suppressed a strike picket at the Firestone plantation in Harbel. More than 20 strikers were hospitalised and two of them were seriously wounded. The government and local authorities denied having asked the police to intervene. According to the workers, the request had come from the Firestone management.

Deeply embedded anti-unionism: Since the establishment of a democratic government at the end of 2005, the majority of the 4,700 workers at the Firestone plantation had held various wildcat strikes to demand better working conditions and trade union elections. Firestone is the second-largest rubber plantation in the world and had often been regarded as a “law unto itself”, with its own rules and a management-controlled “yellow” union. In the past, workers had died during strikes repressed by the police. But with the support of foreign trade union organisations (AFL-CIO, the United Steelworkers, ICEM, etc.), the workers began to stand up to the management despite the intimidation and violence. On 19 April, the Firestone Agriculture Workers Union (FAWU) secured an agreement from the Ministry of Labour that new trade union elections could soon be held.

New anti-union manœuvres: On 7 July, the elections were easily won by the FAWU. The “house union” and the management of Firestone then started a court case to try to cancel the result of these first free trade union elections. The management also tried hard to thwart the operations of the FAWU, not least by refusing to pass on the union fees that it was continuing to check off from workers’ wages. On 21 December, the Supreme Court confirmed the result of the elections. As a result, the Firestone management had to recognise the FAWU as the union representing the workforce.

Police brutality and dismissal of strikers by the management: Exasperated by the management’s refusal to recognise the union and begin collective bargaining with the union, the workers launched another strike on 4 December, which was again brutally repressed. On 6 December, several strikers were injured and the following day the police arrested 12 workers, including two FAWU leaders. Several strikers were dismissed by Firestone.

Closure of a trade union radio station: On 14 December, the police raided the offices of Stone FM, a radio station belonging to the FAWU. The radio station was shut down by the police for several hours, with no reason given, though there are strong suspicions that it was owing to the militant nature of the radio station, which the Firestone workers and their families enjoy listening to.

Liberia needs to learn lessons from Firestone contract renegotiation

Press Release – 14/11/2008

The Liberian government needs to learn hard lessons from the renegotiation of the world’s largest rubber plantation concession with the world’s largest tyre and rubber company in the world [1].  Global Witness [2] and the Save My Future Foundation (SAMFU) [3] today release an analysis of a renegotiated contact [4] between Firestone and the Liberian government [5].  The analysis suggests recommended actions for the Liberian government in future contract negotiations.

The contract was first signed by the transitional government of Liberia in 2005, made up of former warring parties, despite the fact that there were still 20 years left on the previous agreement.  It was then cancelled by the present government of Liberia in 2006, reviewed and finally ratified in 2008 after only two days of public consultation by both houses of the legislature.

Areas of concern in the new contract include:

• Firestone’s US-based parent company is no longer party to the contract. This means that if the contract is breached it will be more difficult for the Liberian government to pursue a remedy against the parent company.
• The new contract contains a confidentiality clause that gives both the company and the government considerable scope to keep information confidential, including payments to government. This runs contrary to best practises established by international initiatives such as the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, of which Liberia is a signatory. “Payments made by natural resource companies to governments should be transparent in order to ensure that the revenues generated are used as a basis for sustainable development in Liberia. This is a major victory to Firestone,” said Seema Joshi of Global Witness.
• The government’s ability to regulate in the public interest has been greatly restricted: the government cannot alter the corporate tax rate or the rent charged. “It is impossible to imagine governments with stronger bargaining powers agreeing to this,” said Joshi.
• Third party rights are not recognised in the contract, so affected local people such as employees and their dependants do not have any rights to challenge the company on its contractual obligations such as issues around water supply, medical care and free education.

“The Liberian government needs to learn lessons from the weaknesses in this contract in order to ensure that greatest benefit for its citizens in future contract negotiations,” said Robert Nyahn of SAMFU.

For further information:

Seema Joshi of Global Witness, currently based in Liberia: +231 (0) 77 353 104 (or subsequently: UK +44 207 561 6395); sjoshi[at]globalwitness.org

Natalie Ashworth of Global Witness: UK: +44 (0) 7968 160 377; nashworth[at]globalwitness.org

Robert Nyahn of SAMFU, who grew up on the Firestone rubber plantation: Liberia: +231 (0) 6 561 955; samfu1[at]yahoo.com

Note to Editors:

[1] Firestone is part of the largest tyre and rubber company in the world and its concession in Liberia is the world’s largest rubber plantation.  Firestone Liberia Inc, the company that is party to the new agreement, is a subsidiary of Firestone Natural Rubber Company LLC, itself a subsidiary of the Japanese company Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc.  Bridgestone/Firestone make up the world’s largest tyre and rubber companies.

[2] Global Witness is an investigative non-governmental organisation that focuses on the links between natural resource exploitation and conflict and was co-nominated for the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize. For more information on Liberia, see Global Witness reports and briefing documents, available at www.globalwitness.org/pages/en/liberia.html.

[3]The Save My Future Foundation (SAMFU) is a Liberian non-profit, non-governmental organisation.

The mission of the Save My Future Foundation (SAMFU) is to facilitate and promote participatory community-based sustainable natural and human resource management and development in Liberia.

[4]The renegotiated contract was signed on the 22 February 2008.  A copy of the Amended Agreement is available at www.globalwitness.org.

[5] The parties to the agreement are Firestone Liberia Inc and the Government of Liberia.