The disgraceful string of deaths continues at Rio Tinto’s Freeport mine in West Papua – the biggest gold and copper mine in the world. Several workers were shot dead after a strike in 2011, and 28 workers were killed in a tunnel collapse in 2013. On 27 September 2014 another four workers were killed in an accident. Immediately workers went on strike to demand compensation for the workers’ families, a guarantee of no more fatalities and punishment of the director of mining. Rio Tinto has given assurances that these demands will be met, but the company’s long-term neglect of health and safety proves that it’s willing to sacrifice workers’ lives for profit.
The disgraceful string of deaths continues at Rio Tinto’s Freeport mine in West Papua – the biggest gold and copper mine in the world. Several workers were shot dead after a strike in 2011, and 28 workers were killed in a tunnel collapse in 2013. On 27 September 2014 another four workers were killed in an accident. Immediately workers went on strike to demand compensation for the workers’ families, a guarantee of no more fatalities and punishment of the director of mining. Rio Tinto has given assurances that these demands will be met, but the company’s long-term neglect of health and safety proves that it’s willing to sacrifice workers’ lives for profit.
