Human Rights Watch: Think twice about investing in Zambia copper mine IPO

Human Rights Watch on Sunday told prospective investors in China Non-Ferrous Metals Mining Corporation’s upcoming IPO that they should be aware of the company’s “disturbing labor rights practices in Zambia,” and poor safety record.

State-owned CNMC plans to go public in Hong Kong with its operations in the southern African country which includes underground mines, a smelter and processing plants that employ 6,000 workers.

CNMC will embark on a road show within weeks and the IPO could raise as much as $500 million.

The miner is also on an aggressive expansion drive and “by the end of 2013, CNMC’s total investment in Zambia will surpass $2.5 billion, providing more than 20,000 jobs,” the country’s Post Online reported last week:

Should CNMC successfully list the Zambian mining asset on Hong Kong, it would become the first foreign mining firm to list a local asset outside after Konkola Copper Mines chickened out of its much-publicised plans in 2010 to launch an initial public offer on London Stock Exchange for Konkola Resources to raise at least US$1.1 billion.

Human Rights Watch documented the labour abuses in a November 2011 report, “‘You’ll Be Fired if You Refuse‘: Labor Abuses in Zambia’s Chinese State-owned Copper Mines”.

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