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full screen In Congo’s mining industry, abuse and child labor are commonplace. Photo: Leda Mining
The Swedish Teachers’ Union is a major shareholder in Arc Minerals – which recently had large mining interests in the Congo.
In the Congo, around 40,000 children work in the mining industry, where twelve-hour days, heavy lifting and starvation wages are part of everyday life.
– It doesn’t sound good at all, ugh. It must be part of our investigation, for sure, says Jonas Larsson, head of finance at Sveriges Lärare.
ⓘ The summary is made with the support of AI tools from OpenAI and quality assured by Aftonbladet. Read our AI policy here.
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In the annual reports from the mining company Arc Minerals 2020, the trade union Lärarnas Riksförbund is mentioned as one of the major owners.
It also states that until March 2020 it was the owner of the mining company Casa Mining. Through Casa Mining, it has also been the majority owner of Leda Mining, a company based in the Congo.
In Congo, human rights abuses and child labor in the mining industry are commonplace, and illegal trade to avoid tougher regulation is still going on on a large scale, according to Foreign Policy Institute.
Amnesty also identifies Congo as a problem country.
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full screen At Sveriges Lärare, it was not known that Arc Minerals had recently been an owner of companies that conducted mining operations in the Congo. Photo: TT Nyhetsbyrån / NTB
Worked around the clock
In a big rapt from 2016 it emerged that around 40,000 children worked in the country’s mining industry.
From the age of seven, children could start working in the mines, and there the working days could last between ten and twelve hours.
Even for children who went to school, it was common to work in mines on weekends and holidays. For those who did not have the privilege of going to school, it was mining work all year round.
The report describes how children who were interviewed told that they had to carry heavy loads and only earned one to two dollars a day.
– I could spend 24 hours down in the tunnels. I got there in the morning and went home the following morning, says 14-year-old Paul in the report.
The children also describe in the report that illnesses and coughs are common, and that mistreatment of security guards was also common.
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full screen In a report from 2016, it appeared that around 40,000 children worked in Congo’s mining industry. Photo: Urban Andersson
Was not known
Casa Mining was already mentioned in 2015 in a report commissioned by Sida concerning conflict minerals in the Congo.
Sveriges Lärare was not aware that Arc Minerals had recently been an owner of companies that conducted mining operations in the Congo.
– No, it is something that our investigation must be able to demonstrate when we look at the issue. If it comes up in your investigation, it will help us when we start the dialogue with the company, says Jonas Larsson, finance director at the trade union.
Were you involved in the decision to sell off Casa Mining, which owned Leda Mining?
– I have not been involved in the company’s governance and management. This is definitely something we have to get to the bottom of. That doesn’t sound good at all, ugh. It must be part of our investigation for sure.
Can you guarantee that child labor is not part of Arc Minerals’ operations in Zambia today?
– I cannot give guarantees. I have to listen to the information that management gives, and do our research around that and we will investigate that.
Footnote: After Aftonbladet’s disclosure, Sveriges Lärare has notified that it intends to begin the process of selling off its holding in Arc Minerals.