Community Development - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 626

TABLE 15.5
Grievances Affecting Mining Communities and the Environment - Themes (World Bank 2004)

Land-Related
Past grievances over land claims and asset compensation
Land ownership disputes ignited by speculation of mining fi rms
Current disputes over land ownership of project sites and related compensation payments
Disputes over land boundaries between different local land-owners
Disputes between the company and communities over access rights
Disputes over renewal arrangements for land leased by the company

Income and Employee Benefi ts-Related
Unfulfi lled hopes for higher incomes, e.g. access to employment, employment multiplier effect of mining activities
Jealousy between community members (and between different communities) who receive higher wages or employee
benefi ts (health care, education, etc.)
Intra-community jealousy of the way the law is perceived to favour Indigenous Peoples over more recent settlers

Cultural and Relationship-Related
Poor communication between company and communities
Communication by the company biased towards one section of a community
Lack of co-operation between different community groups on how they engage with the company
Cultural confl icts between indigenous cultural communities and more recent settlers
Political interventions at the municipal or regional level on the side of either the company or communities
Latent family and relationship disputes that fuel local grievances
Different expectations of community groups and companies, and between different community groups
Different approaches to the management of environmental and social issues between the company,
communities, local government authorities, and NGOs, e.g. speed of decision-making, degree of participation and
consultation, etc.

Natural Resource-Related
Competition for natural resources (e.g. wildlife, fi sh stocks, timber, other forest products, etc.) resulting from new
technologies (e.g. motor vehicles, guns, sawmills, fi shing nets)
Environmental damage by the mining company that affects local resource users
Unplanned exploitation of natural resources opened up by the project's access roads
Differential benefi ts for landowners (e.g. those near a road)

Grievance Mechanisms

Although a project may strive to base all activities on the concept of partnership, there is
a need to recognize complaints or claims and to establish appropriate grievance identii -
cation, tracking, and resolution mechanisms. Many issues can lead to disagreement and
grievance. Most grievances affecting mining communities relate to land disputes, per-
ceived biases in recruitment, inequalities in remuneration, cultural differences, and natu-
ral resource use ( Table 15.5 ).
Issues are often addressed informally as they arise; however, some may require formal
grievance resolution. Grievance resolution strategies range from 'do nothing' to interna-
tional arbitration or dispute settlement in court ( Table 15.6 ) . Each strategy has its own
costs and risks; 'Do nothing' has a low cost and low risk, but it is only recommended for
trivial and vexatious disputes that are not likely to escalate rapidly. The judicial approach
is at the other end of the scale; it is the course of last resort when all other avenues to

Most grievances affecting
mining communities relate to
land disputes, perceived biases
in recruitment, inequalities in
remuneration, cultural differences,
and natural resource use.