<
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/sep/23/amazon-tesla-meta-climate-change-democracy>
"Some of the world’s largest companies have been accused of undermining
democracy across the world by financially backing far-right political
movements, funding and exacerbating the climate crisis, and violating trade
union rights and human rights in a report published on Monday by the
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
Amazon, Tesla, Meta, ExxonMobil, Blackstone, Vanguard and Glencore are the
corporations included in the report. The companies’ lobbying arms are
attempting to shape global policy at the United Nations Summit of the Future in
New York City on 22 and 23 September.
At Amazon, the report notes the company’s size and role as the fifth largest
employer in the world and the largest online retailer and cloud computing
service, has had a profound impact on the industries and communities it
operates within.
“The company has become notorious for its union busting and low wages on
multiple continents, monopoly in e-commerce, egregious carbon emissions through
its AWS data centres, corporate tax evasion, and lobbying at national and
international level,” states the report.
The report cites Amazon’s high injury rates in the US, the company challenging
the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), its efforts
in Canada to overturn labor law, the banning of Amazon lobbyists from the
European parliament for refusing to attend hearings on worker violations, and
refusal to negotiate with unions in Germany, among other cases. Amazon has also
funded far-right political groups’ efforts to undermine women’s rights and
antitrust legislation, and its retail website has been used by hate groups to
raise money and sell products.
At Tesla, the report cites anti-union opposition by the company in the US,
Germany, and Sweden; human rights violations within its supply chains; and Elon
Musk’s personal opposition to unions and democracy, challenges to the NLRB in
the US, and his support for the political leaders Donald Trump, Javier Milei in
Argentina and Narendra Modi in India.
The report cites Meta, the largest social media company in the world, for its
vast role in permitting and enabling far-right propaganda and movements to use
its platforms to grow members and garner support in the US and abroad. It also
cited retaliation from the company for regulatory measures in Canada, and
expensive lobbying efforts against laws to regulate data privacy.
Glencore, the largest mining company in the world by revenue, was included in
the report for its role in financing campaigns globally against Indigenous
communities and activists."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
