Abstract
An Australian case study is presented of an ongoing conflict between Alcoa World Alumina, a multi-national mining company and the impacted stakeholders of Yarloop, a small rural community in Western Australia. The conflict has been subject to research by the author since the early 2000s and is the impetus for developing a model for corporate social responsibility (CSR). The model emphasises engaging impacted stakeholders in dialogue with powerful stakeholders to achieve social justice. This involves a three way set of relationships with key people in leadership positions from the relevant government departments, the corporation’s management group and the impacted stakeholders.The model is premised on an ethic of love approach which utilises the ideas of social justice, social sustainability, and the social pre-cautionary principle. An outline is presented of these ideas as well as a set of inter-linked strategies which are responsive to power inequalities in conflict situations. The ideas and strategies can guide efforts to address the social costs incurred by the impacted community stakeholders. This will involve a discerning commitment to work towards accountable government, sustainable business practices and social justice for impacted stakeholders. The approach requires a cultural shift in the business sector, and wider society, to equally value people, place and profit.
Highlights
The article explains how the social justice imperatives of social work led the author to respond to an invitation by Alcoa World Alumina, Australia (Alcoa) to assist them with issues they were having with Yarloop, their neighbouring community
This would provide an optimal context for social justice where corporations would be expected to extend their responsibility to people who are adversely impacted by their business operations
The long running industrial conflict between Yarloop and Alcoa in Western Australia was explored to show a contribution being made by social work
Summary
The question at the centre of CSR literature is - what responsibility does the mining sector have to its employees and local communities, and perhaps the broader society? Some examples noted in this introduction suggest that a number of multi-national mining companies do not consider their responsibility extends very far at all. From a social work perspective, CSR can be understood as any actions undertaken by a corporation or government to contribute to short and longer term social sustainability This would provide an optimal context for social justice where corporations would be expected to extend their responsibility to people who are adversely impacted by their business operations. The Yarloop-Alcoa case study The irreconcilable conflict at the centre of the case study rests on perceived pollution threats from Alcoa’s mining operations and the impacts of their increasingly intrusive public relations campaigns on local people and towns This was occurring in tandem with the intricately influential role of the State Government which continues to have a pro-development agenda. The book and more recent publications by the authors can be considered the product of the research and a testimony to the challenges of trying to achieve CSR from the impacted stakeholders’ perspective
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