Eyesore 2012

The “eyesore of 2012” goes to KIK and Mayr-Melnhof Packaging!

 

The photo-gallery

Videodownload: award of the Jury-award and Public-award

Pressrelease of NeSoVe eyesore of the year 2012

 

 

 

On the World Day of Social Justice, the 20 of  February 2013, the eyesore of the year 2012 was awarded in the Off-Theatre in Vienna.

 

 

 

The patronage took Michael Baumgartner from the Public Eye Award Switzerland. He pointed out, that it makes a big difference whether individuals act irresponsibly or corporations which are causing (or can cause) much suffering and misery in the world. In the 12 year history of the International Award Public Eye some successes have been recorded, so that companies have partially abandonned their irresponsible activities as a result of  the increased public pressure.

 

 

 

The Managing Director of the Network Social Responsibility, Marieta Kaufmann, presented the shortlist for the eyesore of the year 2012. The Network received 25 nominations and this confirmed the societal need of an Austrian Public Eye. The eyesore of the year is to be established as a permanent institution for observation and control of companies, organizations, institutions and individuals.

 

On the short list were 3 companies:  First of all, the German Tengelmann-subsidiary KIK in connection with the fire disaster in Pakistan Karachi, where 289 people died in the factory that produced goods for KIK. Second, Europe’s largest manufacturer of folding cartons Mayr-Melnhof Packaging with regard to repeated negation of the works council’s rights. Last but not least, the Graz-based plant engineering company ANDRITZ AG with regard to the participation in the Brazilian Belo Monte dam project. The project is destroying and will be destroying the livelihoods of many local people.

 

 

 

 

The jury awarded KIK for the “eyesore of the year 2012”. Erika Plevnik, board member of the network, stressed, that “it was the unanimous view of the jury, that all three companies could have been awarded the eyesore of the year”. Stefan Kerl from the Südwind Agency held the “laudation” on the jury-award. He pointed to more fire disasters in November and January in Bangladesh in factories , which also have produced for KIK.

The civil society voted from the 21 of January  to the 18 of February 2013 for the public award. A total of 8140 votes were cast and Mayr-Melnhof Packaging received 43% of the votes and became the winner of the “eyesore of the year” – public-award. Siegfried Heim, secretary for publishers, printing and paper of the German services trade union Verdi said: “Targeted and constant attacks on works councils and trade union activists and obstruction of their work is the everyday standard program of local management of the Mayr-Melnhof production sites which is surely not executed without backing from the Vienna headquarters.”

 

With 40% of the votes for the ANDRITZ AG they were slightly behind Mayr-Melnhof Packaging. The ANDRITZ AG is a member of the business council respACT. “A company who is giving itself the look of a CSR-company and, on the other hand, makes a lot of money with destruction projects such as Belo Monte should earn the blame and shame award. They do legitimate their investigation in Brazil with the reference to existing permits and the killer argument “If it we do not deliver, a competitor will deliver”. By this they deny any responsibility.”explains Herbert Wasserbauer of the DKA Austria.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In conclusion, the Chairman of the Network Social Responsibility, Franz Fiala, explained, that the designation “eyesore of the year” is harmless in view of  the behavior of the three companies demonstrated, adding: “The dead people of the  textile producing suppliers of KIK in Pakistan and Bangladesh show once again very clearly, what to make of voluntary CSR initiatives, codes of conduct, certificates, and sustainability reports of business: nebulizing propaganda, which is in clear contradiction to the neoliberal, turbo-capitalist reality of unrestrained profit maximization and which is intended to prevent effective regulation “.

 

 

 

Downloads:

Program and invitation to download

Pressrelease NeSoVe: call for nomination(October 23, 2012)

Pressrelease NeSoVe: election call (January 21, 2013)  

Pressrelease NeSoVe: Eyesore 2012 (February 20, 2013)

Eulogy MM  Packaging, Siegfried Heim, federal board of the german service trade union Ver.di, Secretary for publishing, print, paper

Eulogy ANDRITZ AG of DKA – Herbert Wasserbauer

Eulogy ANDRITZ AG of Greenpeace CEE – Julia Kerschbaumsteiner

 

 

Presseberichte:

AKIN, issue 5/2013 (28.2.2013):  Eyesore Jury-Award goes to KIK

Bezirksblätter (28.2.2013): Eyesore  2012

The Austrian farmer NewspaperDie Österreichische Bauernzeitung (28.2.2013): Eyesore 2012

Die Standard (26.2.2013): KIK awarded “Eyesore” 2012

The Greens/Schwentner (20.2.2013): I congratulate KIK and Mayr-Melnhof Packaging for winning the “Eyesore of the year 2012”

Clean Clothes Campaign (20.2.2013) : Jury-Award goes to KIK

Tiroler Tageszeitung (21.2.2013): KIK gets first Eyesore – Award

Ökonews- Daily Renewable Energy and Sustainability (21.2.2013): KIK and Mayr-Melnhof awarded for the eyesore of the year

AUGE/UG (21.2.2013): workers councils rights are not negotiable

 ver.di (20.2.2013): Mayr-Melnhof Packaging awarded for the “Eyesore of the year 2012”!

The alternative – march 2013: Eyesore 2012

CSR-News (21.1.2013): New Austrian Shame-Award

Economic Journal (21.1.2013): KIK, Mayr-Melnhof and ANDRITZ in the pillory

Backpressure, online portal for the services trade union Ver.di Germany (21.1.2013): Online voting for the negative price “eyesore of the Year”

City Fruit Vienna – Online Portal (15.1.2013): Ulli Sima nominated for the eyesore 2012

DKA Austria (23.1.2013): Eyesore of the Year: Online voting started

Decent Work for Decent Life (22.1.2013): election manifesto

DATE – pages of time, issue 2/2013: LAST QUESTIONS to Marieta Kaufmann.