What is happening?
The transition to renewable energy has significantly increased demand for metals such as copper, nickel, lead, tin and silver. This is putting increasing pressure on mining sites, which often leads to harsher working conditions and greater health and safety risks for workers in the sector.
As the world moves away from coal, workers and local communities that depend on this industry are increasingly losing their livelihoods. A just transition is needed to balance climate targets with social justice.
The biggest problems in the mining industry
Concentration of power within the supply chain
De toeleveringsketen van kritieke metalen wordt gedomineerd door een klein aantal internationale bedrijven. Daardoor is er weinig transparantie en beperkte invloed op naleving van arbeidsrechten. Tegelijk is Europa sterk afhankelijk van een kleine groep producenten, wat risico’s met zich meebrengt voor zowel mensenrechten als leveringszekerheid.
Unhealthy and unsafe working conditions
Miners are often exposed to dust, chemical fumes and physically demanding work. In many cases, there is a lack of adequate protection, proper safety procedures and access to healthcare.
Growing risk for outsourcing
More and more work in the mining sector is being outsourced to subcontractors. This leads to:
- Fewer employment rights for outsourced workers
- Lower wages, sometimes 30 per cent less than colleagues on direct contracts
- Short-term contracts offering little security
- Difficult access to trade unions or collective bargaining
- More extreme working hours and higher safety risks
Outsourcing makes it easier for companies to shift risks onto others, but this actually makes workers more vulnerable.
