September 23, 2024
Some of the world’s largest companies have been accused of undermining democracy by financially backing far-right political movements, funding and exacerbating the climate crisis, and violating trade union rights and human rights in a report published on Monday, September 23, by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
Indeed, as reported by The Guardian, Amazon, Tesla, Meta, ExxonMobil, Blackstone, Vanguard, and Glencore are the corporations included in the report.
The companies’ lobbying arms are attempting to shape global policy at the United Nations Summit of the Future in New York City on September 22 and 23.
At Amazon, the report notes that the company’s size and role as the fifth largest employer in the world—and the largest online retailer and cloud computing service—has had a profound impact on the industries and communities it operates within.
“The company has become notorious for its union busting and low wages on multiple continents, monopoly in e-commerce, egregious carbon emissions through its AWS data centers, corporate tax evasion, and lobbying at national and international level,” states the report.
The report cites Amazon’s high injury rates in the United States, the company challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), its efforts in Canada to overturn labor law, the banning of Amazon lobbyists from the European parliament for refusing to attend hearings on worker violations, and its refusal to negotiate with unions in Germany, among other cases.
Amazon also has funded far-right political groups’ efforts to undermine women’s rights and antitrust legislation, and its retail website has been used by hate groups to raise money and sell products.
At Tesla, the report cites anti-union opposition by the company in the United States, Germany, and Sweden; human rights violations within its supply chains; and Elon Musk’s personal opposition to unions and democracy, challenges to the NLRB in America, and his support for the political leaders Donald Trump, Javier Milei in Argentina and Narendra Modi in India.\
The report cites Meta, the largest social media company in the world, for its vast role in permitting and enabling far-right propaganda and movements to use its platforms to grow members and garner support in the United States and abroad. It also cited retaliation from the company for regulatory measures in Canada, and expensive lobbying efforts against laws to regulate data privacy.
Glencore, the largest mining company in the world by revenue, was included in the report for its role in financing campaigns globally against indigenous communities and activists.
Blackstone, the private equity firm led by Stephen Schwarzman, a billionaire backer of Donald Trump, was cited in the report for its roles in funding far-right political movements, investments in fossil fuel projects, and deforestation in the Amazon.
“Blackstone’s network has spent tens of millions of dollars supporting politicians and political forces who promise to prevent or eliminate regulations that might hold it to account,” the report noted.
The Vanguard Group was included in the report due to its role in financing some of the world’s most anti-democratic corporations. ExxonMobil was cited for funding anti-climate science research and aggressive lobbying against environmental regulations.
Even in “robust democracies” workers’ demands “are overwhelmed by corporate lobbying operations, either in policymaking or the election in itself”, says Todd Brogan, director of campaigns and organizing at the ITUC.
“This is about power, who has it, and who sets the agenda. We know as trade unionists that, unless we’re organized, the boss sets the agenda in the workplace; and we know as citizens in our countries that unless we’re organized and demanding responsive governments that actually meet the needs of people, it’s corporate power that’s going to set the agenda.
“They’re playing the long game, and it’s a game about shifting power away from democracy at every level into one where they’re not concerned about the effects on workers; they’re concerned about maximizing their influence and their extractive power and their profit,” adds Brogan. “Now is the time for international and multi-sectoral strategies, because these are, in many cases, multinational corporations that are more powerful than states, and they have no democratic accountability whatsoever, except for workers organized.”
Research contact: @guardian
