WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AMEC SPIE….
Dear applicant,
You are here today because you’re interested in working for AMEC Spie.
But did you know that the company is involved in an extremely controversial
oil project which looks set to become a human rights, environmental and
social disaster?
IS THIS REALLY A COMPANY YOU WOULD WISH TO WORK FOR?
But what’s this got to do with railways?
It’s the same company recruiting here today that intends to build a controversial
oil pipeline. Protests against this project are growing, and AMEC Spie is
a campaign target.
DO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR A COMPANY WHOSE NAME IS LINKED
TO A HUMAN RIGHTS DISASTER?
What is this pipeline project, then?
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline project is to run from Azerbaijan through
Georgia to Turkey, bringing oil from the Caspian Sea to the West. AMEC
Spie has won the largest construction contract for the pipeline from BP, and
will build the pipleine section through Georgia.
The pipeline that AMEC Spie will build cuts through Georgia’s
foremost national park and under the mineral springs that provide
one of Georgia’s most important exports, Borjomi mineral water.
When the Georgian environment minister said this would violate national
law, she was detained by the president until 3am until she agreed to ratify
the route.
Local people’s lands and livelihoods will be adversely
affected by the pipeline, and in Georgia, many have already started to
protest. They say they have not been fully consulted about the pipeline
and are worried that they won’t receive fair compensation for damage
to their lands and communities.
The contracts for BTC override any conflicting laws in the
host countries (apart from the constitution). They exempt the BTC consortium
from any new laws for the next 40 to 60 years, effectively putting the
pipeline route under the control of multinational oil companies.
In Turkey, the route passes through Kurdish areas devastated
by war. Because the Turkish government is violently opposed to granting
rights to the Kurds, the thousands of pages of environmental and social
impact assessments do not mention the Kurds or human rights once. In Turkey,
the security will be conducted by the gendarmerie, whose human rights record
is so horrific they were ordered to disband by the Council of Europe.
In all three countries the benefits of the project will
be enjoyed only by elites; ordinary people will share only the environmental
and social burdens.
We are part of a group of over 70 international NGOs who have raised serious
concerns about the BTC project. You can find out more about us and BTC at
www.baku.org.uk
We are campaigning to persuade AMEC Spie to pull out of the BTC pipeline.
Last year, AMEC pulled out of an equally controversial dam project in Turkey
after a public campaign was mounted.
We urge you to take
the chance today to ask the company about its involvement in this disastrous
project.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information.