TELL THE BCIU THAT VALE IS NOT A GOOD CORPORATE CITIZEN!

On December 3^rd in New York City the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) is presenting Vale CEO Roger Agnelli with its Global Citizenship Award. The BCIU’s mission is to encourage “alliances” between multinational companies and world political leaders.

In announcing the award Peter Tichansky, the President of the BCIU, praised Agnelli and Vale for their “commitment to the social side of the cities where the company is present.”

Let’s inform the BCIU about the facts surrounding Vale and the communities it operates in and express our outrage that a company which routinely disrespects its workers and their communities should receive an award.

Email BCIU President Peter Tichansky (p-tichansky@bciu.org) and Senior Vice President Jeffrey Donald (j-donald@bciu.org) and let them know that Vale is a BAD corporate citizen.

Vale’s misconduct includes:

• Provoking a labor dispute in Canada by demanding unnecessary concessions from workers despite making billions in profit. For the first time in the history of Sudbury, Ontario Vale is preparing to use replacement workers in an effort to break the strike. Vale has also attacked living standards for retired workers.

• In Brazil, Vale has undermined health and safety standards for its workers, carried out corporate construction projects which displaced thousands of people from their homes, polluted the environment and been fined by the government for illegal logging.

• In New Caledonia, indigenous groups have protested Vale’s violation of their rights as well as massive pollution, including an acid spill which affected a World Heritage site.

Does this sound like a company which has a “commitment to the social side of the cities where the company is present…?”

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Sample E-mail Text

Dear Mr. Tichansky and Mr. Donaldson

I was disappointed to learn that the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) chose Vale’s Roger Agnelli as this year’s recipient of the Global Citizenship Award.

In Canada, Agnelli has led Vale’s outrageous attack on workers by demanding unnecessary concessions from workers despite making billions in profits. In Brazil, under Agnelli’s watch, Vale has undermined health and safety standards from workers and carried out corporate construction projects displacing thousands of people from their homes, polluted the environment and engaged in illegal logging.

Agnelli is no ‘Global Citizen’ and he doesn’t deserve an award from the BCIU. I strongly encourage the BCIU to retract its decision to give Roger Agnelli this prestigious award. Please consider granting this honor to a true Global Citizen.

Sincerely,