MINING companies operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been told to end confinement polices aimed at stemming the spread of the COVID-19 disease as the practice infringes on human rights.
At many mines in the DRC’s southern copper- and cobalt-rich region, workers have been told by managers to either stay and work or lose their jobs, the organisations said, citing workers and union representatives.
Companies should give workers the choice to continue commuting to work while living at home, and those who decide to stay on a confined site must be given adequate compensation, including bonuses, they said.
At some confined mine sites, Congolese workers reported being given insufficient food and water and inadequate accommodation, while at others they had no adequate personal protective equipment or hand-washing facilities, the organisations said.
In a list of demands to the mining companies, they said if they did not end confinement entirely, companies should at least ensure any confinement was as short as possible and reviewed regularly in consultation with workers and unions.
Congo is the world’s biggest producer of cobalt, accounting for 70% of global supply of the metal used in batteries for phones and electric cars. It’s Africa’s top producer of copper, said Reuters. Glencore, Eurasian Resources Group, Chemaf, Huayou Cobalt, and Ivanhoe Mines did not immediately reply to emailed requests by Reuters for comment.
