EU warned private sector engagement in aid risks “putting profit before poverty”
New European Commission proposals to boost the role of business in aid programmes and throw the EU‘s weight behind the development agenda of private companies risk putting profits before the needs of the world’s poorest groups, hundreds of NGOs have warned. In a policy paper released last week, the Commission seeks to lay out a framework in which private companies can invest in sustainable agricultural production and help to better the lives of women, young people and the poor. The EU development commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, said that the private sector had a “crucial role” to play in helping people lift themselves out of poverty, but had to make sure its involvement benefited all concerned. However, the proposals have been met with a wary response from NGOs. Hilary Jeune, Oxfam‘s EU policy advisor, expressed concern over the commission’s decision to identify social services as an opportunity for private sector engagement. “Areas like health and education should not be determined by profit margins,” she said. “Governments should provide free and public essential services for all, and maintain stringent rules for any business which might risk hindering social and environmental progress.” (The Guardian)
Employees
Fast-food protests planned globally
Following several one-day strikes over pay in the last 18 months, US fast-food workers plan to take their movement global. The leaders of the fast-food workers’ movement have announced plans to take their cause global, to 80 cities in more than 30 countries, in addition to more one-day strikes in 150 cities across the USA. Restaurant companies such as McDonald’s have so far resisted pushes for a $15-an-hour wage, which they say is unrealistic. Over the last decade, as American labour unions have declined in membership and power, they have increasingly turned to unions in Europe and Asia to help pressure multinational companies overseas. And now the fast-food movement, underwritten by the Service Employees International Union, is embracing a similar strategy as it struggles to gain influence with the fast-food giants. “It’s a global economy, so they’re saying, ‘Why not go overseas to make it into a global fight?’” said Lowell Turner, a professor of international labour relations at Cornell University. “They’re trying to create a global protest movement.” (New York Times)
Qatar promises to reform labour laws after outcry over ‘World Cup slaves’
Qatar has promised to scrap key elements of its controversial labour laws, in the wake of an international outcry over conditions for migrant workers before the 2022 World Cup. Officials said they would replace the country’s “kafala” sponsorship system, which tethers workers to a single employer who can treat their workforce with impunity, pending the approval of a draft law. But human rights groups, which had hoped this would be a watershed moment, feared the lack of detailed proposals represented “a missed opportunity to tackle the key issues”. Amnesty International said it suspected it amounted to a “change of name rather than a reform to the system”. Amnesty’s James Lynch said: “Promises to fully review sponsorship and exit permits in the long term don’t help workers on the ground. The government has been announcing a law on domestic workers’ rights since 2008 but we still haven’t seen it.” (The Guardian)
Diversity
Lack of female film directors is undemocratic, says Cannes head judge
The scarcity of female directors in the film industry is undemocratic, the head of the Cannes film festival jury, Jane Campion has said, speaking out against sexism in the business, which she said keeps many women’s films out of view. The comments by Campion, the only woman to have ever won the festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or prize, for her film The Piano, came on the opening day of the 12-day event on the French Riviera, which in past years has been criticised for not presenting enough films made by women. “I think you’d have to say there’s some inherent sexism in the industry,” Campion told journalists and film critics. “It does feel very undemocratic and women do notice,” she said. “Time and time again, we don’t get our share of representation.” (The Guardian)
Responsible Investment
Angry UK shareholders spring new revolts on executive pay
Three of Britain’s best known companies have been hit by substantial shareholder revolts over executive pay. At bus and train operator National Express, barely half the shareholders independent of the board voted to approve the remuneration report, a rebellion triggered by bonuses and a retention deal for Dean Finch, the chief executive. At television company ITV there was a triple whammy of bad news as a sizeable shareholder protest against the chief executive Adam Crozier’s pay compounded a share price crash and a sharp drop in ratings in the first quarter. And global bank HSBC has bowed to pressure from shareholders ahead of their annual meeting by cutting the size of a planned bonus award to Douglas Flint, its chairman, in a move aimed at quashing any potential rebellion. The revolts come in the midst of a new “shareholder spring”, in which the boards at Barclays, Pearson and AstraZeneca have been criticised for their executive pay plans. (The Times)*
Innovation
Harvard researchers develop bioplastic from shrimp shells
Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute have developed a new process for the large-scale manufacturing of everyday objects — from cell phones to food containers and toys — using a fully degradable bioplastic made from shrimp shells. The Institute says the objects display many of the same properties as those created with synthetic plastics, but are more eco-friendly — even more so than most bioplastics on the market today in that they create no threat to trees or competition with the food supply. The bioplastic also breaks down when returned to the environment within about two weeks, and releases nutrients that support plant growth. The innovation shows the potential of using ‘bioinspired’ plastics for applications that require large-scale manufacturing, the Institute says. The next challenge is for the team to continue to refine their fabrication methods so that they can take them out of the laboratory, and move them into a commercial manufacturing facility with an industrial partner. (Sustainable Brands)
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