Brazil: Success against the international mining monopolies Vale and BHP
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- Parent Category: Worldwide struggles
- Created: Tuesday, 19 November 2024 15:04
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Nine years ago, the dam in the retention basin of an iron ore mine in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil burst. Around 40 million cubic metres of toxic wastewater had leaked from the retention basin of an iron ore mine into the Doce River, contaminating hundreds of kilometres. A mudslide destroyed the village of Bento Rodrigues, killing 19 people. Now the mining monopolies responsible have to pay billions in compensation.
The government signed the new agreement with the mine operator Samarco and its parent companies - the Brazilian group Vale and the Australian-British group BHP Billiton - with the payment of 132 billion reais (around 21 billion euros). The payment, part of which will be made over a period of 20 years, is intended as compensation for the damage caused to people, the environment and infrastructure.
Additional legal proceedings are underway in the UK following a class action brought by more than 620,000 people. They are demanding compensation from the Australian-British raw materials company BHP. The settlement in Brazil is just the first step in an ongoing fight for justice, said plaintiffs' lawyer Tom Goodhead. 'Our lawsuit will hold BHP publicly accountable and set a precedent that will make it more difficult for multinational companies in general to neglect their responsibilities to the communities in which they operate.'
Translated with DeepL.com