Imperial Tobacco "rogered"

Imperial Tobacco "rogered"

Smokefree Coalition media release, 11 December 2013

The Smokefree Coalition is delighted its nomination has successfully placed Imperial Tobacco among the seven finalists for the 2013 Roger Award for the worst transnational corporation operating in New Zealand.

The Award is given each year to the company that has had the most negative impact in categories such as economic dominance, profiteering, tax dodging, cultural imperialism, political interference, abuse of workers and social effects upon women, children and tangata whenua.

The Smokefree Coalition’s nomination accuses Imperial Tobacco of crimes against the health and safety of its workers and the public, and of endeavouring to expand its market in New Zealand despite the Government’s health commitment to achieving a smokefree New Zealand by 2025.

Smokefree Coalition Director Prudence Stone said tobacco kills about 5000 New Zealanders annually and is the greatest preventable cause of death and illness in New Zealand.

"If Imperial Tobacco was genuine about its corporate social responsibility it would stop manufacturing its many brands of packaged death and addiction. Instead it has conducted ‘testing programmes’ to increase sales, distributing thousands of cigarettes to its employees in breach of the Smoke-free Environments Act.

"Imperial Tobacco proudly boasts a growing market share in New Zealand even after the Government has committed to making the nation smokefree by 2025, and it cynically settles disputes by agreeing to donate thousands while its profits remain in the millions.

“This international, death-peddling corporation obviously has no conscience and therefore deserves to be publicly shamed with a Roger Award."

Imperial Tobacco was third runner up for the 2011 Roger Award and British American Tobacco won popular choice in 2012.

The Roger Award for the worst transnational corporation operating in New Zealand has run annually since 1997. It is organised by two Christchurch-based groups, the Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) and GATT Watchdog.

The other six finalists this year are: ANZ, Chorus, IAG Insurance Group, Rio Tinto, Sky City Casino and Talent 2. The winner(s) will be announced at a Nelson event on the night of 15 April.

Full details, including previous winners and annual Judges’ Reports, can be read online at http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/publications/Roger/index.html.

ENDS

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