Events+&+Conflicts

= **What events and conflicts are shaping your issue at present?** = = = Since 1886 when Coca-Cola was introduced by John Pemerton, ongoing debate and conflict has arisen from the political, cultural and environmental structures Coca-Cola has intact. Coca-cola’s relations amongst management, and the products they fabricate have been criticized for directly or indirectly causing harm to various consumers/parties. Our Coca-Cola campaign highlights the social responsibility of encouraging positive and uplifting worker-management relations, rectifying poor wage practices, increasing job security, promoting community involvement and political relations, and most important improved methods of production, such that the earth’s water is not sacrificed in exchange for corporate power. We are campaigning for better business practices. Coca-Cola has been known to enforce poor management practices in such places as Somalia, Africa, The Middle East, Columbia and more (The New York Times, 2010). In Mogadishu Somalia a Coca-Cola plant was constructed from a range of relevant investors; all with one goal, to expand their corporate boarders and to globalize their products continentally. However, this comes at a great social cost that Coca-Cola thought they could “keep under the cover” when doing so. In Plachimada, India, Coca-Cola’s plant operations were taken to a point where there was no more water left in the surrounding local area. The Plachimada area reported that Coca-Cola distributed  c   admium-laden waste sludge as free fertilizer while dumping their wastes in the local lands. After extracting extremely large amounts of water from area, the surrounding crops and lands dried up and were considered no longer sustainable, damaging the wildlife and locals’ access to many resources. The sludge was confirmed by the University of Exeter in Britain to possess no fertilizer value, and the sludge was made up of "cadmium; a known carcinogen which causes kidney damage while the exposure to lead, can lead to mental derangement and death and is particularly dangerous for children causing them severe anemia and mental retardation” (D.Rajeev, Environment-India; ipnews.net, 2010). Mr Gupta, a Coca-Cola representative states that the company undertook an environmental impact assessment before building the plant, but has declined to make one available to the public. Rallying against Coca-Cola in this region is the pollution control authorities, political parties, judiciary and global environmental groups, and Greenpeace International, along with Plachimada locals (Environment-India; ipnews.net, 2010). With our campaign, we hope to aspire justice and repayment for the many damaging effects Coca-Cola’s brand has caused to the many affected areas. Indian campaigns have resisted against Coca-Cola’s corporate power and influence over the region; specifically protesting against their rights to water. They need our support in order to stop this careless pollution, and hindering of India's agricultural economy.

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The Coca-Cola Company explicitly claims to pay its workers on average “two to three times higher than minimum wage” ([|www.thecoca-colacompany.com], 2010). However, up until a few years ago, reports of underpaid and overworked employees have been made. Also, to mention these employees have been subjected to very dangerous working conditions and working positions. Ed Potter, the director of global labor relations for Coca-Cola is put in charge in upholding the integrity of Coca-Cola’s labor conditions and employee rights. However, Coca-Cola has only claimed to have made “recommendations” serving the International Labor Organization with no visible results. Coca-Cola also claims that their recommendations address the core anti-union conflicts and violence, however we must point out, that these recommendations are only plans that have not been implemented and more importantly followed up upon ([|www.thecoca-colacompany.com], 2010). Columbian union representatives for Coca-Cola workers have lost their lives to this managerial carelessness, and still the corruption, bribery and blackmail continues ([|www.killercoke.org], 2010). Ultimately, Ed Potter’s committee is doing a sub-mediocre job at upholding Coca-Cola’s philosophies and alleged standards, and we want to see higher standards made and maintenance/contingency plans implemented if they want to continue business in these countries, in this type of manner.

In Columbia, Isidro Segundo Gil, an employee at the Coca-cola plant in Columbia was killed by “paramilitary thugs” as he was an appointed union representative. It is understood that any type of union work is difficult in Columbia, however it is the Coca-cola brand name that carries unwanted leverage in the Columbian political world which had become an issue. Gil’s union, SINALTRAINAL, the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF) and the United Steelworkers of America claimed Coca-cola bottlers “contracted with or otherwise directed paramilitary security forces that utilized extreme violence and murdered, tortured, unlawfully detained or otherwise silenced union leaders (www.killercoke.org). This type of behaviour is exactly what our campaign is targeting; a more sound, morally appropriate way to go about business ventures with the right political relations. Coca-cola obviously did not plan ahead for this type of outcome, however it is their sole responsibility to maintain and correct these relations before hand, and when, expanding their presence.

//Reference:// [|//http://www.corporatecampaign.org/killer-coke/images/twofaces_th.gif//] Over 9 shots were fired at Gil, and an hour later another union leader was kidnapped. Union buildings were set ablaze, and later on resignation forms were prepared for union members by the Coca-cola plant manager who had a history of socializing with the paramilitaries. Union members were forced to resign and the purposeful union had been destroyed over fear of the members’ lives. No charges were ever laid for Gil’s killers or for the other deceased union members ([|www.killercoke.org], 2010). Coca-cola’s reluctant participation in this incident proved their managerial ignorance, and because of their size and power, this case goes unrest. Coca-cola managed to suppress media coverage and much exposure over this occurrence and our campaign gives light to the unsettled injustice. Protocols could have been firmed and administration should have played a larger role in rectifying this incident.

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In 2000 after allegations had been made, the federal government found Coca-cola guilty of discrimination charges and was ordered to payout more than $200 million to the victims (www.bukisa.com, 2010).

It was reported from Denise Knight, Coca-cola’s water sustainability manager that Coca-cola “…has been in the business of water for 122 years” and that “if we don’t have water, we don’t have a business” ( [] ). Since Coca-cola’s product relies on water in order to be successful, it is important that they do so carefully in order to preserve our most important //depleting// non-renewable natural resource.

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