The spiders and their webs…
Amit Sengupta
PHM-India
Third People’s Health Assembly
Cape Town, 6 th July-11 th July, 2012

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Power of TNCs….
Of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporations
The top 200s’ combined sales are 18 times the size of the combined annual income of the poorest 1.2 billion people
Sales of the Top 200 are equivalent of
28% of world economic activity , but only employ 0.8% of the world’s workforce

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TNCs – global tentacles…
They seek markets wherever they may be, whatever may be the cost
They, today, locate operations in different parts of the world to benefit from reduced wages , lower standards of work conditions , less stringent environment protection laws
They are today able to bargain the best conditions for themselves – low wages, poor regulation – as they shift from place to place
They are today a major cause of loss of livelihoods and loss of control over natural resources

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Philip Morris targeted WHO as part of a massive and far-reaching campaign to subvert tobacco control activities around the world
Philip Morris sued the Uruguayan govt . for its regulation that requires tobacco companies to cover
80 per cent of their cigarette packs with pictorial warning labels
Phillip Morris is using provisions in the
Australia-Hong Kong Biliateral Investment treaty (BIT) to demand compensation for
Australia's Plain cigarette packaging antismoking legislation

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Processed Food…..
Nestle , World's largest and most “diversified food company” in the world, with around 2,50,000 employees worldwide, 500 factories in 100 countries and offering over 8,000 products
In 2004, monitoring results from 69 countries showed up over 2,000 violations of the baby food marketing code, and Nestlé was responsible for more violations than any other company.
It resort to double standards -advertises the same product differently in countries of the North and the
South.
in India, Nestle uses a surrogate front organisation – the Nestle Nutrition Institute to sponsor conferences of doctors in “ Emerging Trends in Pediatric Nutrition ”.

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Pharma …….
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will pay $3 billion in fines and plead guilty to criminal charges that it unlawfully promoted its antidepressant medicines Paxil and Wellbutrin and failed to report safety data about Avandia its diabetes drug
GSK unlawfully marketed Paxil to treat depression in patients under 18 despite the fact that the drug was unapproved for pediatric use
• GSK paid millions of dollars to doctors to speak at and attend meetings which it sponsored

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Can TNCs be controlled?
‘ Social Responsibility ’ approach
Persuasion …..
‘ Social Accountability ’ approach
Independent accounting…
‘ Economic threat ’ approach
Profits threatened with boycotts….
‘ Punitive ’ approach
Sanctions, divestment….

Thalidomide
1960s…

With adequate profit, capital is very bold. A certain 10% will ensure its employment anywhere; 20% certain will produce eagerness; 50%, positive audacity; 100% will make it ready to trample on all human laws; 300%, and there is not a crime at which it will scruple, nor a risk it will not run, even to the chance of its owner being hanged……