Libya: World Trade Unions Call Multinationals to Account

Libya: World Trade Unions Call Multinationals to Account

Brussels, 3 March 2011 (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC and the Global Union
Federation representing oil and chemical workers, the International
Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM),
have today written to 28 multinational companies* in the oil,
infrastructure and chemicals industries concerning investments in Libya
and their future intentions regarding the conflict-stricken country.

"Publicly available information indicates that these companies have had
business relations with Libya, and thus the Gaddafi regime which
exercised full control over the economy," said ITUC General Secretary
Sharan Burrow. "They should immediately stop further payments of any
kind to the present authorities in Tripoli, and support the
establishment of a fund to be administered by the UN or other body until
such time as a democratic government which respects human rights is
established."

"First and foremost, the ICEM is concerned for the security of oil and
gas workers, both Libyan staff and expatriate workers," said ICEM
General Secretary Manfred Warda. "We call on transnational companies to
not only ensure their safety, but to refrain from any further direct
payments to the Gaddafi regime."

The ITUC and its Global Unions partners are also examining the dealing
of companies from other sectors with the Gaddafi regime, and will
maintain international pressure on governments and the private sector to
act in full support of the positions taken by the UN concerning Libya
and to avoid any complicity in further human rights violations. The
letter to the 28 companies also calls on them to join with others in
calling for the establishment of a fund where payments for oil exports,
royalties and taxes owed to Libya can be deposited until a transition to
a democratic government that protects the human rights of its citizens
can be made.

*The following are the companies to which the ITUC and ICEM have
written, based on publicly-available information on business links to
Libya: ENI, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil, Occidental Petroleum,
Gazprom, RWE, Nippon Oil and Energy, Petrobras, Statoil, Total, Chevron,
Dow Chemical, Impreglio, Haliburton, Fluor, Vinci, ConocoPhilips,
Marathon Oil, Amerada Hess, Wintershall onlding, OMV, Inpex, Polish Oil
and Gas, Suncor, Repsol YPF, Tatneft and China National Petroleum
Corporation.

ENDS

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