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The Kenyan Tea Workers’ Case: Evaluating the Impediments to Holding MNCs Accountable for the Actions of their Subsidiaries

- 25th August 2020

Business & Human Rights

Recently, a human rights complaint was registered against Unilever at the United Nations by a group of Kenyan tea plantation workers from its Kericho plantation facility. The matter pertains to Unilever’s failure to protect its employees from post-election violence in 2007. Unilever’s failure to respond appropriately to the crisis resulted in more than 1000 workers […]

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BHP to be Dammed?

Jade Weiner - 11th August 2020

Access to Justice| Business & Human Rights| Business & Resources & Environment & Development

On 5 November 2015, a devastating mudslide following the collapse of the Fundao Dam tore through Mariana, Brazil, destroying entire cities, decimating the environment and destroying historic, cultural and religious traditions in the area. 19 people lost their lives, tonnes of fish died, and over 600km of waterways were polluted in what is regarded as […]

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Covid-19, Patents and Access to Medication in India

Mohit Kar - 11th May 2020

Business & Human Rights| Socio-Economic Rights

The Covid-19 pandemic is spreading rapidly across India. India has had a long-drawn struggle around affordable universal healthcare and this disease would be a tough test for its resources. Covid-19 has no clinically approved antiviral or vaccine yet. Thus, on the plea of the World Health Organization (“WHO”) research across the world has ensued, giving […]

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Now That We Care About Carers: Temporal Casualisation in Mencap and Uber

Deirdre McCann - 27th April 2020

Business & Human Rights| Gig Economy and Human Rights| Socio-Economic Rights

A few weeks before the lockdown, one of the most important UK labour law cases of the last decade was heard by the Supreme Court. Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson Blake has not attracted the attention paid to the Uber litigation, also to reach the Supreme Court later this year. Yet Mencap will have significant […]

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Historic South African Silicosis Class Action Settlement Approved

Jason Brickhill - 21st August 2019

Business & Human Rights

On 26 July 2019, the High Court approved a settlement between 20 goldmining companies operating in South Africa (including African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony Gold) and representative plaintiffs in the silicosis class action, described as unprecedented in its scale and complexity. The settlement establishes the Tshiamiso Trust worth at least […]

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Workers of the Fireworks Factory of Santo Antônio de Jesus and their family members vs. Brazil and why we need to talk about socioeconomic gender inequality

Natalia Brigagao - 18th July 2019

Business & Human Rights| Equality and Non-Discrimination| Gender Equality

In 1998, there was an explosion at an irregular, high-risk fireworks factory in the city of Santo Antônio de Jesus, Brazil, which led to 64 deaths and left six people severely injured. Survivors and family members were not offered due access to justice, which led them to report the violations to the Inter-American Commission of […]

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Mobilising International Human Rights Law to Promote Tax Justice

Gerry Liston - 17th July 2019

Business & Human Rights

Hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue are lost to governments – and particularly those of developing countries – annually as a result of deficiencies in the global taxation system, undermining their ability to realise a range of socio-economic rights. Yet Article 2 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) requires […]

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California is Poised to Expand Labour Protections for Workers

Catherine Fisk - 8th July 2019

Business & Human Rights| Gig Economy and Human Rights| Socio-Economic Rights

California, many other states, and the United States government, have laws imposing minimum standards of employment (such as wages and hours), limited financial benefits for workers who become unemployed or are injured in the course of employment, and benefits for employees after retirement age or who become unable to work because of disability. Most of […]

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