A law suit against the world largest steel producer ArcelorMittal was filed in the Czech Republic on April 8th for its excessive harmful air emissions and their devastating impacts on health and living conditions of local residents. The suit was brought to the court by lawyers of the GARDE programme of the Environmental Law Service acting on behalf of the local community living in the direct proximity of the ArcelorMittal’s plant in city of Ostrava. At the same time, hundreds of people dissatisfied with air pollution protested in the centre of the city of Ostrava against the behaviour of the metallurgic giant.
According to the results of air quality testing carried out in the area since 2005, concentrations of airborne dust, arsenic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the air near the ArcelorMittal steel mill exceed the legal limits by up to 700% which means a serious health risk for local people. A specialist study initiated last year showed that none of the 30 samples of soil complied with the required limits in terms of the content of dangerous substances. The study also showed that the number of local children suffering from respiratory troubles exceeds the national average by 15 percent and the number of early deaths exceeds the average by 20 percent.
The attitude of ArcelorMittal towards the catastrophic situation of the air quality near the plant was stand-offish until now. ArcelorMittal representatives were denying the company‘s critical contribution to the health-threathening situation in the area, shifting the responsibility to other industrial plants in the region, or to the transport emissions and emissions from the local district heating plant. ArcelorMittal was taking advantage of the non existence of real (both civic and administrative) pressure on the company to improve its adverse impact on the environment. In the last days, in respond to the demonstration and the law suit, the ArcelorMittal rhetoric has changed, however. The spokeswoman of ArcelorMittal in the Czech Republic Veronika Breiova annouced that the company is aware of the growing dissatisfaction of people and the new management’s priorities is investing in the pro-environmental measures and an open communication about environmental problems. However, with regard to the up-to-now behaviour of ArcelorMittal and experience with ArcelorMittal operations in the other parts of world, these words are unable to raise enough confidence with local communities and GARDE programme.
In Autumn 2007, the GARDE programe started to help local citizens affected by the pollution by providing them with free legal help. GARDE’s lawyers helped to organize a petition against the irresponsible behaviour of ArcelorMittal and of the state authorities. In short time the petition was signed by more than 2 300 citizens. Further, legal actions demanding a review of the operation permits issued for the ArcelorMittal installations were taken to the competent authorities and a number of objecions were lodged during the permiting procedures concerning the new ArcelorMittal investments.
ArcelorMittal is the world largest steel producer operating in more than 60 countries around the world. The experience from many of those countries show that the pollution, health and safety and labour conditions, and reluctance to release basic information to and meet with the stakeholders are the most frequent problems experienced by neighbours and workers of ArcelorMittal plants. These problems are target of growing criticism from NGO’s and Trade Unions. The cases of alleged ArcelorMittal irresponsible behaviour include, for example :
Kazakhstan : After health and safety problems at Mittal’s Kazakh mines hit the headlines when 41 miners died in the ArcelorMittal-owned Lenina coalmines in September 2006, workers went on strike demanding pay raises and improved safety. In January 2008, another incident at Mittal’s Kazakh mines resulted in another 30 deaths, bringing total deaths in Mittal’s Kazakh operations to 191 since the company took over the Temirtau steelworks and associated mines in 1996.1 In April 2008 the General Prosecutor’s Office warned that the company risks having its mining activities terminated if it does not do more to improve its safety standards. (Isabel Gorst and Peter Marsh, Kazakhs warn Mittal over safety, Financial Times, 20 February 2008, reproduced at http://www.corpwatch.org/article.ph...)
Romania and Ukraine : Concerns about health and safety are also rife at the company’s steelworks, for example in Galati, Romania, and Kryviy Rih, Ukraine, with members of the Solidaritatea Union at Galati alleging that the plant’s management is engaging in a wide range of tactics to suppress the union’s activities. (Raushan Nurshayeva, Maria Golovnina, Paul Bolding : Kazakhstan urges ArcelorMittal to improve safety, Reuters, 3 April 2008, http://in.reuters.com/article/asiaC...)
United States of America : Mittal’s flouting of environmental norms is not limited to developing countries. In August 2006, the US Environmental Protection Agency cited Mittal Steel USA Inc. for alleged clean-air violations at the company’s steel mill in Indiana, and in the Ohio steel plant, which Mittal Steel took over in 2005, local communities are outraged over the high levels of pollution and related health problems. Mittal’s record of addressing public grievances has also been poor. In the US the company has continuously denied Ohio communities’ demands to engage with the public despite them sending 33,891 personal, handwritten letters and petitions. (Ohio Citizen Action : Smoke and Mirrors : Mittal Steel’s Playbook to cover up their pollution, 3 January 2007 http://www.ohiocitizen.org/campaign...)
South Africa : communities are fighting against Mittal Steel’s pollution as well as its intimidation against families who have refused to sell their land for the company’s expansion plan.
Contact Person : Jan Šrytr lawyer GARDE programme of Environmental Law Service tel. : +420 545 575 229 mob. : +420 775 154 087 jan.srytr eps.cz www.responsibility.cz, www.eps.cz