「世界最悪企業2013」オンライン投票、今年の候補はゴールドマンサックス、シェルなど７社。日本企業は残念ながら（？）ノミネートされず（FGW)
2013-01-08 12:56:28
昨年、東京電力が候補企業となって、国内でも話題を集めた欧州NGOのパブリック・アイによる「世界最悪企業オンライン投票」が年初から始まった。今年のノミネート企業は、米銀ゴールドマンサックスのほか、多国籍企業のシェル、フランスのエネルギー会社アルストムなど7社。候補企業のうち4社がエネルギー企業、2社が金融、1社が鉱業、という構成。エネルギー開発に絡んで自然破壊、住民の人権問題などを引き起こしているエネルギー企業の“行いの悪さ”が目立つ形となっている。
投票は、世界中どこからでも、誰でも可能。ただし、一人1票で、ワンクリックのみ。投票先は Public Eye People’s Awards 2013 now open at www.publiceye.ch
投票は今月２３日まで受け付けられる。もっとも投票の多かった「最悪企業」は、スイスのダボスで開催する世界経済フォーラム期間中に、同地で授賞式を開く（ダボス会議が世界最悪企業を表彰するのではない）。もっとも、これまで授賞式に表れた企業はない。
昨年は、福島原発事故を引き起こした東京電力をFGWが推薦、大健闘の結果、ブラジルのエネルギー会社Valeにわずかの差で敗れて二位となった。同投票については、３位のサムソン(韓国）による投票操作の疑惑が生じた(サムソンは一位になりたくないので、Valeに組織票を投じたのでは、という疑惑）。韓国でサムソンを推薦したNGOの調査では、韓国国内ではほとんど知られていないValeが相当の票を獲得していたことがわかり、同NGOもサムソンの投票操作疑惑を指摘した。
今年のノミネート企業のゴールドマンサックスは、２００８年のリーマンショックの際、米公的資金(国民の税金）で支えられながら、ギリシャを軸とする欧州債務危機で「金融資本のバンバイア(吸血鬼）」として投機行動に走った、とされている。
シェルは、北極海全域での資源開発に積極的に乗り出しており、最後に残された北極の自然破壊の先頭に立つ企業として、批判されている。フランスのアルストムはエネルギー開発と輸送事業を世界中で展開しており、各地で地元政府等を巻き込んだ汚職事件を引き起こしている。インド最大の石炭事業者のコール・インディアは、地球温暖化にもっとも悪影響を及ぼす石炭を年間４億トン採掘し、インド国内の９割のサイトを支配している。石炭火力も増設している。スイスのエネルギー企業のリパワーは、イタリアとの国境沿いに石炭火力発電所建設を進めており、地元住民の猛反対にあっている。
＜以下は、各ノミネート企業の”横顔”＞
The French energy and transport conglomerate Alstom is involved in countless corruption scandals all over the world. The company’s practice of offering bribes to local politicians, sometimes in the seven figures, in order to secure contracts, and the frequency of new cases becoming known suggest that the company handles corruption as a deliberately chosen business strategy.
The Indian energy group Coal India is the world’s largest coal producer. The company produces 400 million tons per year, operates 90% of all coal mines in India and continues to plan new coal-powered power plants that would make India the world’s third largest emitter of CO2. The coal mines destroy the habitats of numerous large mammals and rob tribal peoples of their homelands thus condemning them to a life in bitter poverty.
With some 650,000 security forces in its employ, the British security firm G4S fields the largest private army in the world. These security forces are often badly trained and paid. Operating in 125 countries, the company stands accused of countless violations of international law and human rights. G4S is present in the occupied Palestinian territories—manning checkpoints and managing prison security—and other regions of conflict, often serving repressive regimes such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Bahrain or Saudi-Arabia.
Goldman Sachs is the vampire of finance capital. Never one to waste a crisis—whether a subprime mortgage bubble, a bank collapse, or a Euro-failure—Goldman Sachs makes good money from most of them. And the company does not shy away from deals that might ruin entire countries. Goldman’s financial constructions eventually ruined Greece and plunged the EU into the current financial crisis. And Goldman made good money this way: billions of dollars at the expense of European taxpayers. Goldman Sachs maintains an opaque and matchless global network of former bank managers in top political positions such as European Central Bank president Mario Draghi.
Managers of the world’s third largest platinum producer Lonmin urged the South African Mining Ministry to take „appropriate measures“ against striking miners at the Marikana mine—using the police or the army. 44 workers were shot dead by the police shortly thereafter and another 77 seriously injured. One day after the massacre Lonmin announced that all workers who continued to strike would be fired. The workers, who live in bitter poverty, walked off the job because Lonmin management had repeatedly failed to appear for scheduled wage negotiations.
The Swiss energy concern Repower wants to build a hard-coal power plant in the southern Italian region of Calabria, against the opposition of the local population. The site of the planned power plant is right in the middle of `Ndrangheta territory, Italy’s and probably Europe’s most influential Mafia-type alliance. Repower deliberately chose to engage with corrupt politicians in order to build an unwanted, socially and environmentally unsustainable coal power plant. The company’s determination prompted former Prime Minister Berlusconi to pass a „Repower Act“ that robs regions of their right to have a say in the decision.
Shell wants to drill for oil in the Arctic at all costs. The oil company ignores the disaster warnings of scientists and millions of people who want to protect the arctic. Pete Slaiby, vice president of Shell Alaska told the BBC: «I’m not going to gloss things over: I think there will be oil spills, and no oil spill is ok.“ Neither this remarkable admission nor a series of incidents in the first round of preparations in the Arctic, however, have inspired Shell to invest more money in safety precautions. Shell also dropped the shift to renewable energies from its long-term strategy.
On Thursday, January 24, 2013 (9:00 a.m. at Kirchgemeindehaus Davos Platz) the WEF-critical Public Eye will focus on the irresponsible behavior of large corporations at an international press conference. The recipients of the Jury Award and the People’s Award will be presented there. The well-known economics professor and former banking regulator William K. Black (book: The Best Way to Rob a Bank Is to Own One) will speak about the criminal energy of corporations, the oligarchy in the finance industry and the state of democracy today.
投票は、世界中どこからでも、誰でも可能。ただし、一人1票で、ワンクリックのみ。投票先は Public Eye People’s Awards 2013 now open at www.publiceye.ch
投票は今月２３日まで受け付けられる。もっとも投票の多かった「最悪企業」は、スイスのダボスで開催する世界経済フォーラム期間中に、同地で授賞式を開く（ダボス会議が世界最悪企業を表彰するのではない）。もっとも、これまで授賞式に表れた企業はない。
昨年は、福島原発事故を引き起こした東京電力をFGWが推薦、大健闘の結果、ブラジルのエネルギー会社Valeにわずかの差で敗れて二位となった。同投票については、３位のサムソン(韓国）による投票操作の疑惑が生じた(サムソンは一位になりたくないので、Valeに組織票を投じたのでは、という疑惑）。韓国でサムソンを推薦したNGOの調査では、韓国国内ではほとんど知られていないValeが相当の票を獲得していたことがわかり、同NGOもサムソンの投票操作疑惑を指摘した。
今年のノミネート企業のゴールドマンサックスは、２００８年のリーマンショックの際、米公的資金(国民の税金）で支えられながら、ギリシャを軸とする欧州債務危機で「金融資本のバンバイア(吸血鬼）」として投機行動に走った、とされている。
シェルは、北極海全域での資源開発に積極的に乗り出しており、最後に残された北極の自然破壊の先頭に立つ企業として、批判されている。フランスのアルストムはエネルギー開発と輸送事業を世界中で展開しており、各地で地元政府等を巻き込んだ汚職事件を引き起こしている。インド最大の石炭事業者のコール・インディアは、地球温暖化にもっとも悪影響を及ぼす石炭を年間４億トン採掘し、インド国内の９割のサイトを支配している。石炭火力も増設している。スイスのエネルギー企業のリパワーは、イタリアとの国境沿いに石炭火力発電所建設を進めており、地元住民の猛反対にあっている。
＜以下は、各ノミネート企業の”横顔”＞
The French energy and transport conglomerate Alstom is involved in countless corruption scandals all over the world. The company’s practice of offering bribes to local politicians, sometimes in the seven figures, in order to secure contracts, and the frequency of new cases becoming known suggest that the company handles corruption as a deliberately chosen business strategy.
The Indian energy group Coal India is the world’s largest coal producer. The company produces 400 million tons per year, operates 90% of all coal mines in India and continues to plan new coal-powered power plants that would make India the world’s third largest emitter of CO2. The coal mines destroy the habitats of numerous large mammals and rob tribal peoples of their homelands thus condemning them to a life in bitter poverty.
With some 650,000 security forces in its employ, the British security firm G4S fields the largest private army in the world. These security forces are often badly trained and paid. Operating in 125 countries, the company stands accused of countless violations of international law and human rights. G4S is present in the occupied Palestinian territories—manning checkpoints and managing prison security—and other regions of conflict, often serving repressive regimes such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Bahrain or Saudi-Arabia.
Goldman Sachs is the vampire of finance capital. Never one to waste a crisis—whether a subprime mortgage bubble, a bank collapse, or a Euro-failure—Goldman Sachs makes good money from most of them. And the company does not shy away from deals that might ruin entire countries. Goldman’s financial constructions eventually ruined Greece and plunged the EU into the current financial crisis. And Goldman made good money this way: billions of dollars at the expense of European taxpayers. Goldman Sachs maintains an opaque and matchless global network of former bank managers in top political positions such as European Central Bank president Mario Draghi.
Managers of the world’s third largest platinum producer Lonmin urged the South African Mining Ministry to take „appropriate measures“ against striking miners at the Marikana mine—using the police or the army. 44 workers were shot dead by the police shortly thereafter and another 77 seriously injured. One day after the massacre Lonmin announced that all workers who continued to strike would be fired. The workers, who live in bitter poverty, walked off the job because Lonmin management had repeatedly failed to appear for scheduled wage negotiations.
The Swiss energy concern Repower wants to build a hard-coal power plant in the southern Italian region of Calabria, against the opposition of the local population. The site of the planned power plant is right in the middle of `Ndrangheta territory, Italy’s and probably Europe’s most influential Mafia-type alliance. Repower deliberately chose to engage with corrupt politicians in order to build an unwanted, socially and environmentally unsustainable coal power plant. The company’s determination prompted former Prime Minister Berlusconi to pass a „Repower Act“ that robs regions of their right to have a say in the decision.
Shell wants to drill for oil in the Arctic at all costs. The oil company ignores the disaster warnings of scientists and millions of people who want to protect the arctic. Pete Slaiby, vice president of Shell Alaska told the BBC: «I’m not going to gloss things over: I think there will be oil spills, and no oil spill is ok.“ Neither this remarkable admission nor a series of incidents in the first round of preparations in the Arctic, however, have inspired Shell to invest more money in safety precautions. Shell also dropped the shift to renewable energies from its long-term strategy.
On Thursday, January 24, 2013 (9:00 a.m. at Kirchgemeindehaus Davos Platz) the WEF-critical Public Eye will focus on the irresponsible behavior of large corporations at an international press conference. The recipients of the Jury Award and the People’s Award will be presented there. The well-known economics professor and former banking regulator William K. Black (book: The Best Way to Rob a Bank Is to Own One) will speak about the criminal energy of corporations, the oligarchy in the finance industry and the state of democracy today.
- Nominations, information, and voting for worst corporation at www.publiceye.ch
- Adbusts of nominees in different formats: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7150725/Peye/SpoofsPublicEye2013.zip
- Video material on the cases: www.youtube.com/user/publiceyeawards
- www.facebook.com/publiceyeawards
- www.twitter.com/peawards
Research Institute for Environmental Finance