A billboard of a runny-nosed, dour-faced girl framed by Glencore's sprawling zinc mine in Peru greets commuters at Zurich's main train station with an ominous slogan:"Water contaminated. Child poisoned. Commodities firm liable."
SwissHoldings, which represents Swiss multinationals such as pharmaceutical giants Novartis and Roche, food company Nestle, and Glencore, says it is self-evident the issues raised by the initiative need to be addressed. Yet with three days to go, polls suggest the companies and the government are losing the argument. A survey by Swiss broadcaster SRF showed 57per cent of those polled backed the responsible business initiative over the government proposal.
A European Union proposal could bring in even more stringent liability laws for companies in the bloc while countries such as France, Britain and Canada have already enacted laws targeting liability on all or some human rights in business concerns. RAID submitted a complaint to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in September against Glencore.
If the initiative is passed, large companies and those in high-risk businesses would have to check that activities throughout their supply chains complied with internationally recognised human rights and environmental standards.
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