Decades after her death, Margaret Oldenburg's plant collection could hold answers on Arctic biodiversity

CBC
Sun, January 15, 2023

An article from Oct. 31, 1944, published by the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, describes Margaret Oldenburg as a botanist who used plants as an excuse for travelling. She documented thousands of plants during her decades in the North, and her collection is now being studied as a snapshot of Arctic biodiversity. (Submitted by Paul Sokoloff - image credit)

Landing unexpectedly on a lake in the Arctic wild was, apparently, a day like any other for botanist Margaret Oldenburg.

Maybe the pilot that day forgot to check the fuel gauges. Whatever happened, as the story goes, Oldenburg and the pilot had to wait until someone came to find them. When they did, Oldenburg was apparently found by the side of the water, where she'd been collecting plants the whole time.

"She was just going about her day, doing her botany, unshaken," said Paul Sokoloff, a botanist with the Canadian Museum of Nature who has recently learned more than he ever expected to about the intrepid adventurer who died a half century ago.

Sokoloff recently made a trip to the Bell Museum in Minnesota. There's a large collection of pressed and dried plants at the museum — "essentially a library of plant biodiversity through the ages," Sokoloff said.

Thousands of those specimens were collected by Oldenburg.

"Some of our core research programs are on Arctic plant biodiversity ... so this kind of became a priority for us, like, 'Let's get these plants into the collection so we can use them,'" Sokoloff explained.

"In doing so, we learned a lot about this really interesting woman."

Giacomo Panico/CBC

Oldenburg, a self-taught botanist who died in 1972, documented those plants over the course of decades spent roaming the Arctic, often aided by famed bush pilot Ernie Boffa.

A full chapter of Boffa's biography is devoted to his adventures with Oldenburg. Author Florence Whyard described her as "a maiden lady of uncertain age but definite ideas" — a cigarette-smoking "spinster librarian" who hopped on the SS Nascopie one day and disembarked at Churchill, Man. She eventually came to spend much of her time in Aklavik.

In one memorable paragraph, Whyard wrote that on one particularly busy day, "despite her huge bags of collected specimens, Margaret Oldenburg just ran her strong brown hands through her short-cropped hair, lit another cigarette, and said, 'Me? I just go along for the ride.'"

As fascinating as Oldenburg's life was, it's what she left behind that has Sokoloff's full attention: the plant collection that offers insight into years of biodiversity in the Arctic.

Submitted by Paul Sokoloff

"By having this, it's essentially this data point that tells us, OK, well, we know these plants were here — maybe we can use that to help us tell, are they moving in the future? Are they contracting in the future? Is their range contracting?" Sokoloff explained.

"All of this data helps us build a more complete picture of Arctic biodiversity through space and through time."

The collection even includes the first plant Oldenburg ever collected: a lousewort from Hebron in Labrador

Sokoloff said they plan to build a database with all the information they've collected. From there, they'll be collaborating with the Bell Museum to write a paper about Oldenburg and her botanical legacy.

"I think that'll be a really fitting tribute to all of those years that she spent making these really important collections," he said.

An average 1,600 tech workers have been laid off every day of 2023 so far

Huileng Tan
Mon, January 16, 2023 

Laid-off employeeGetty images/ skaman306

On an average, at least 1,600 tech sector workers have been laid off every day of 2023 so far, per Layoffs.fyi.


That's as 91 tech companies globally have axed 24,151 jobs, just 15 days into 2023.


1,023 tech companies laid off 154,256 workers in 2022, per data aggregated by Layoffs.fyi.

Layoffs in the tech sector show no signs of abating — on an average, about 1,600 workers have gotten the pink slip every day in 2023 so far, according to tracking site Layoffs.fyi.

That's as 91 tech companies globally have already laid off 24,151 workers just 15 days into 2023, according to data aggregated by Layoffs.ai. This is already about 15% of the 154,256 workers who were laid off by over a thousand tech companies in 2022.

Amazon, Meta, and Salesforce top Layoffs.fyi's list with about 18,000, 11,000, and 8,000 staffers laid-off, respectively, between November 2022 and January 2023.

The layoffs at Amazon primarily affected those in corporate roles, including those in the company's Devices and Books businesses and human resource department, Insider's Samantha Delouya reported on January 5. Meta cut positions across the company, including its Reality Labs division overseeing metaverse initiatives, while Salesforce's headcount reduction hit the Slack and MuleSoft business units.

The rash of layoffs — which started last year — came after tech companies hired and expanded aggressively during the pandemic. But they started conducting widespread layoffs in late 2022, as earnings weakened across the board amid fears of an impending recession. This also spilled over into 2023.

Amazon and Salesforce announced in the first week of the year they were collectively cutting over 25,000 jobs. Other tech companies that have slashed headcount include media company Vimeo and supply chain software firm Flexport.

And it's not just the tech sector that's laying off staff either.

Last week, banking giant Goldman Sachs started laying off 3,000 employees globally as dealmaking slows. BlackRock, the world's largest asset management firm, is also slashing up to 500 roles for the first time in four years.

Marc Benioff, Salesforce's CEO, attempted to explain his company's rationale for the downsizing in his memo to staff, saying: "as our revenue accelerated through the pandemic, we hired too many people leading into this economic downturn we're now facing, and I take responsibility for that."

Tesla under fire in Germany over union concerns on working hours, contracts


FILE PHOTO: A general view shows the Tesla logo on the Gigafactory in Gruenheide

Mon, January 16, 2023 

BERLIN (Reuters) - Tesla has come under fire from German union IG Metall and politicians over allegations by workers of unreasonable working hours and fears over speaking out at its Brandenburg plant, with some calling for inquiries into the carmaker.

At its annual news conference, IG Metall, which has an office near the plant and says it is in regular contact with workers, said a growing number reported longer working hours with little free time.

Workers were also increasingly fearful about discussing their working conditions openly because of non-disclosure agreements they were told to sign along with their work contracts, IG Metall said.

A new role advertised on Tesla's career website for a "Security Intelligence Investigator", who will partner with legal and human resources departments to carry out "collection of on-the-ground information both within and beyond Tesla walls in order to protect the company from threats", exacerbated these concerns.

"Workers started at Tesla with great enthusiasm for the project. Over time we are observing that this enthusiasm is withering," Irene Schulz of IG Metall Berlin-Brandenburg-Sachsen said in a statement.

"Tesla is not doing enough to improve working conditions and is leaving too little time for leisure, family and recovery."

Tesla was not immediately available for comment.

Tesla China has also asked some staff to sign non-disclosure agreements, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. Reuters found several people on LinkedIn with the title of "Security Intelligence Investigator" working for Tesla in Austin, San Francisco and Shanghai.

German business newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Monday that local politicians from the centre-left SPD to the centre-right CDU expressed concern about the allegations, calling for inquiries both by Tesla and the local government.

"The state government of Brandenburg must enforce occupational safety through close controls at Tesla," Christian Baeumler of the Christian Democrats (CDU) said to Handelsblatt.

The Brandenburg government was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, additional reporting by Zhang Yan; editing by Jason Neely)

Davos 2023: Climate activists protest over big oil hijacking debate






Climate activists protest ahead of the World Economic Forum 2023

Sun, January 15, 2023 
By Maha El Dahan

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Climate activists protested in Davos on Sunday against the role of big oil firms at this week's World Economic Forum (WEF), saying they were hijacking the climate debate.

Major energy firms including BP, Chevron and Saudi Aramco are among the 1,500 business leaders gathering for the annual meeting in the Swiss resort, where global threats including climate change are on the agenda.

"We are demanding concrete and real climate action," said Nicolas Siegrist, the 26-year old organiser of the protest who also heads the Young Socialists party in Switzerland.-

The annual meeting of global business and political leaders officially opens in Davos on Monday.

"They will be in the same room with state leaders and they will push for their interests," Siegrist said of the involvement of energy companies at the WEF meeting.

The oil and gas industry has said that it needs to be part of the energy transition as fossil fuels will continue to play a major role in the world's energy mix as countries shift to low carbon economies.

More than a hundred protesters gathered in a snowy Davos square chanted, "change your diet for the climate, eat the rich", while some booed oil firms cited during a speech.

"I know some of the companies are involved in alternatives but I think governments with their subsidies, have to skew the field in favour of alternative energy," Heather Smith, a member of the 99% organisation.

Smith was holding a sign saying "Stop Rosebank", a North Sea oil and gas field she is campaigning to halt plans for.

Rising interest rates have made it harder for renewable energy developments to attract financing, giving traditional players with deep pockets a competitive advantage.

"There is still too much money to be made from fossil fuel investments," she added.

(Editing by Alexander Smith)

Business trusted most in a more polarized world, report says


Sun, January 15, 2023 

LONDON (AP) —

People worldwide are more gloomy about their economic prospects than ever before and trust business far more than other institutions like governments, nonprofits and the media in an increasingly divided world, according to a survey from public relations firm Edelman.

Released late Sunday to coincide with the World Economic Forum's gathering of business elites and government leaders this week in Davos, Switzerland, the online survey conducted in 28 countries shows that fewer people believe their family will be better off in five years.

Those who believe they'll be better off dropped to 40% from 50% last year and hit all-time lows in 24 nations. That is because 89% fear losing their job, 74% worry about inflation, 76% are concerned about climate change and 72% worry about nuclear war.

The Edelman Trust Barometer also says 62% of respondents see business as both competent and ethical, compared with 59% for nongovernmental agencies, 51% for governments and 50% for the media. That was attributed to how companies treated workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and return to offices as well as many businesses vowing to exit Russia after it invaded Ukraine.

People still said they distrusted CEOs as well as government leaders and journalists, while trusting their own corporate executives, co-workers and neighbors. Scientists were trusted the most — by 76% of respondents.

“The increased level of trust in business brings with it higher-than-ever expectations of CEOs to be a leading voice on societal issues,” said Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman. “By a six-to-one margin, respondents want more societal involvement by business on issues such as climate change, economic inequality and workforce reskilling."

But companies face stirring contention by jumping into those topics, with 52% saying businesses can't avoid politicization when they tackle divisive social issues, he said.

Despite the uncertainty, people want companies to stand up for them: 63% say they buy or advocate for brands based on their beliefs and values.

Most respondents say business should do more, not less, to deal with climate change, economic inequality and other issues.

This comes as social divisions have become entrenched, creating a polarized world that has left people feeling like they can't overcome their differences or even willing to help others who don't share their beliefs, the survey says.

Less than one-third of respondents said they would help, live with or work with someone who strongly disagrees with their viewpoints. Six countries — Argentina, Colombia, the U.S., South Africa, Spain and Sweden — were listed as severely polarized, driven by distrust in government and a lack of shared identity.

If divisions are not addressed, people fear the result will be worsening prejudice and discrimination, slower economic development and violence in the streets, the report said.

More than 40% in the survey believe governments and companies must work together to solve social issues, with the onus on the most trusted institution — business — to bring people together.

Most respondents — 64% — said companies supporting politicians and media outlets that build consensus would help increase civility and strengthen society.

In its 23rd year, the Edelman Trust Barometer surveyed more than 32,000 people online in 28 countries from Argentina to Saudi Arabia to the U.S. from Nov. 1 to Nov. 28.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the World Economic Forum meeting at https://apnews.com/hub/world-economic-forum

As Davos opens, Oxfam urges windfall tax on food companies


Sun, January 15, 2023 

LONDON (AP) — 

Food companies making big profits as inflation has surged should face windfall taxes to help cut global inequality, anti-poverty group Oxfam said Monday as the World Economic Forum's annual meeting gets underway.

That's one of the ideas in a report by Oxfam International, which has sought for a decade to highlight inequality at the conclave of political and business elites in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.

The report, which aims to provoke discussions on panels featuring corporate and government leaders this week, said the world has been beset with simultaneous crises, including climate change, the surging cost of living, Russia’s war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the world’s richest have gotten richer and corporate profits are surging.

Over the past two years, the world’s super-rich 1% have gained nearly twice as much wealth as the remaining 99% combined, Oxfam said. Meanwhile, at least 1.7 billion workers live in countries where inflation is outpacing their wage growth, even as billionaire fortunes are rising by $2.7 billion a day.

To combat these problems, Oxfam urged higher taxes on the rich, through a combination of measures including one-time “solidarity” taxes and raising minimum rates for the wealthiest. The group noted that billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk's true tax rate from 2014 to 2018 was just over 3%.

Some governments have turned to taxing fossil fuel companies' windfall profits as Russia's war in Ukraine sent oil and natural gas prices soaring last year, squeezing household finances around the world.

Oxfam wants the idea to go further to include big food corporations, as a way to narrow the widening gap between the rich and poor.

“The number of billionaires is growing, and they’re getting richer, and also very large food and energy companies are making excessive profits,” said Gabriela Bucher, Oxfam International's executive director.

“What we’re calling for is windfall taxes, not only on energy companies but also on food companies to end this crisis profiteering," Bucher told The Associated Press in an interview.

Oxfam's report said wealthy corporations are using the war as an excuse to pass on even bigger price hikes. Food and energy are among the industries dominated by a small number of players that have effective oligopolies, and the lack of competition allows them to keep prices high, the group said.

At least one country has already acted. Portugal introduced a windfall tax on both energy companies and major food retailers, including supermarket and hypermarket chains. It took effect at the start of January and will be in force for all of 2023.

The 33% tax is applied to profits that are at least 20% higher than the average of the previous four years. Revenue raised goes to welfare programs and to help small food retailers.

Oxfam said its analysis of 95 companies that made excess, or windfall profits, found that 84% of those profits were paid to shareholders while higher prices were passed on to consumers.
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AP reporter Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed to this report.

Oxfam calls for 'billionaire-busting' policies, says the world's top 1% has been getting richer much faster than everyone else

Huileng Tan
Sun, January 15, 2023

A protest ahead of the World Economic Forum 2023 in Davos, Switzerland on January 15, 2023.Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

The top 1% has garnered two-thirds of the $42 trillion new wealth created since 2020, per UK non-profit Oxfam.


But at least 1.7 billion workers live in countries where inflation outpaces wages.


Oxfam's calling on governments to impose much higher taxes on the super-rich to redistribute wealth.

Governments around the world need to reduce the number of ultra-wealthy people by adopting "billionaire-busting policies," Oxfam said in a Monday report.

The UK-based group of non-profits said in the report the richest people have grabbed nearly two-thirds of $42 trillion in new wealth created since 2020 — when the COVID-19 pandemic started. That's twice as much as what the rest of the 99% managed to amass in new wealth, Oxfam said citing Credit Suisse data.

As a reflection of this growing wealth disparity, at least 1.7 billion workers are living in countries where inflation is outpacing wages, according to Oxfam's analysis of data from Eurostat, Trading Economics and consultancy Korn Ferry.

Oxfam is now advocating to halve the wealth and number of billionaires between now and 2030 through taxation and other moves in order to get to a "fairer, more rational distribution of the world's wealth."

It's also seeking a permanent increase in the taxes of the richest to at least 60% of their income — in particular, Oxfam is calling on governments to raise taxes on capital gain.

"We need to do this for innovation. For stronger public services. For happier and healthier societies. And to tackle the climate crisis, by investing in the solutions that counter the insane emissions of the very richest," Gabriela Bucher, the executive director of Oxfam International, said in the report.

Just four cents of every tax dollar come from wealth taxes, according to Oxfam's analysis based on data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Most of the income of wealthy people are also "unearned" and are derived from returns on their assets — but it's taxed at an average of 18% — just over half of the average top tax range on wages and salaries, according to Oxfam's study.

"Taxing the super-rich is the strategic precondition to reducing inequality and resuscitating democracy," Bucher said in the report.

Oxfam published its report just as the World Economic Forum commences on Monday in Davos, Switzerland.

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Nuclear waste project in New Mexico opposed in recent poll, company asserts local support


Adrian Hedden, Carlsbad Current-Argus
Sat, January 14, 2023 

New Mexicans in every region of the state allegedly opposed storing high-level nuclear waste in their state, according to a recent poll, as a New Jersey company hoped to build a facility to do so near Carlsbad.

The poll, commissioned by Albuquerque-based Southwest Research and Information Center in a partnership with the Center for Civic Policy surveyed 1,015 voters across the state from Dec. 7 to 14.

It found 60 percent of those surveyed were in opposition to the project, with 30 percent supporting and 10 percent undecided.

More:Legality of nuke waste storage at Texas, New Mexico border questioned during court hearing

Holtec International applied in 2017 for a license from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to build and operate what it called a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) in a remote area near the border of Eddy and Lea counties.

Last year, the NRC published its final environmental impact statement (EIS), contending the project would have little impact on the environment, and recommending the license be issued.

The CISF would temporarily store up to 100,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel rods, expected to be brought into the site via rail from nuclear power plants around the country through a 40-year license with the NRC.

More:What is consent? Nuclear waste site near Carlsbad opposed by State, supported by locals

The 1,000-acre plot of land where the facility would be built was owned by the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance, a consortium of local leaders from the cities of Carlsbad and Hobbs, and Eddy and Lea counties.

The Alliance recruited Holtec and set up a revenue-sharing agreement with the company once the CISF goes into operations.

Despite the poll, Holtec officials argued the project was largely supported by New Mexico, after spokesman Gerges Scott said representatives traveled to local governments throughout the state.

More:Nuclear repository partners with Holtec to transport waste to federal site near Carlsbad

Ed Mayer, Holtec project manager of the CISF said the company had adequate support for the project, after he and other representatives met with local leaders and first responders both around the site and along the rail lines.

“We are educating the affected populations, not only from the facility perspective in southeast New Mexico, but from a state perspective on the rail lines,” Mayer said. They asked very thoughtful questions on the project and how the project would positively or negatively affect their communities. I’m able to address all of their concerns.”

‘Local support’ for nuclear waste conflicts with recent poll

Leaders from four southeast New Mexico governments supported the project, arguing it would bring economic diversity to the oil- and gas-dependent Permian Basin region.

More:Feds push plan to dispose plutonium using nuclear waste repository near Carlsbad

Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway, a supporter of the project, argued the poll appeared biased against Holtec’s proposal after the city’s initial review.

“Our preliminary review of this survey certainly indicates that it was highly biased and not an objective method of obtaining feedback,” Janway said in a statement.

Mayer questioned the poll question itself, specifically a passage that said, “Experts predict that up to 13 accidents will occur during the 10,000 rail shipments.”

More:Lawmakers demand reparations for New Mexicans imperiled by nuclear bomb testing

He pointed to the NRC’s EIS, and a section that said while there could be up to 13 accidents amid the shipments, the likelihood of them being severe was “one in 10 trillion.”

Even in a severe accident the NRC “concluded no release of (spent nuclear fuel) would occur,” read the EIS.

“Unsubstantiated is that an accident will harm human health and the environment. It seems disingenuous. If you’re going to put a poll together, it should be a substantiated question,” Mayer said.

“The opposition said each of those accidents will cause a release of radioactive material. That’s just not the case.”

More:Nuclear history in New Mexico celebrated in national stamp collection, despite impacts

But opponents, including Southwest Research – a frequent critic of Holtec and the nearby Waste Isolation Pilot Plant repository for transuranic (TRU) nuclear waste – maintained the project would bring an undue risk to New Mexicans nearby and Americans along the waste transportation routes.

That’s why opposition was spread across political parties, gender and ethnicity, said Nuclear Waste Program Manager Don Hancock at Southwest Research and Information Center.

The poll showed more than half of those surveyed in the region were against the project, with opposition also coming irrespective of political affiliation.

More:New Mexico seeking input on nuclear waste permit for repository near Carlsbad

About 70 percent of Democrats polled opposed Holtec, along with 51 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of Independents.

When broken down by gender, more men supported the project than women, according to the poll.

A majority of Republican men polled were in favor at 51 percent, while 61 percent of Republican women were against the project, read the poll.

More:Air projects at nuclear waste repository near Carlsbad move forward after delays

White men were mostly for the project overall at 49 percent of voters polled in favor, while 71 percent of white women were against.

Hispanic men and women both mostly opposed the project at 51 and 78 percent against, respectively read the poll.

Central, northeast and southwest New Mexico showed opposition of 60 percent or more, while more conservative regions in the southeast and northwest showed 57 and 56 percent against, respectively, the poll showed.

More:Nuclear waste sits undisposed at site near Carlsbad as feds figure out what to do
Critics argue storing nuclear waste puts undue risk on New Mexico

Hancock said the poll showed temporary nuclear waste storage was not supported by New Mexico voters, arguing it was opposed through decades of proposals like Holtec’s.

“I’m not surprised by the results because for more than 45 years New Mexicans have strongly opposed high-level waste in New Mexico, whether the waste is proposed for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in the 1970s and ‘80s, for Mescalero Apache land in the 1990s, or by Holtec,” he said.

Opposition to the project also came from some of New Mexico’s highest-ranking state officials, and its Congressional delegation, with New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham calling the proposal “economic malpractice” for its potential, she said, of imperiling nearby oil and gas and agriculture industries.

More:Nuke waste rules proposed for Carlsbad-area site critiqued by watchdogs, local leaders

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) co-sponsored a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate last year to block any federal funds from supporting such a project.

At the state level, New Mexico Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-36) was a lead opponent of Holtec’s in the Legislature.

While Texas lawmakers recently passed a bill to ban high-level waste storage in their state, Steinborn said New Mexico policymakers should consider a similar measure to prevent the project coming to fruition.

“From the very beginning this has been a dangerous plan pushed on New Mexico, with real risks for all of our communities, and no end in sight,” Steinborn said. “It's time for this project to be canceled and be replaced by the federal government committing to a true consent based siting process for the permanent storage of this waste.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Nuclear waste project in New Mexico opposed in recent statewide poll

UK trade union says 100,000 public sector workers to strike on Feb. 1

Ambulance workers take part in a strike in Manchester

Wed, January 11, 2023 

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said on Wednesday 100,000 of its members across 124 government departments would take strike action on Feb. 1 in a dispute over pay, pensions and job security.

Britain is experiencing a wave of strikes across sectors ranging from healthcare to railways, as pay rises fail to keep pace with double-digit inflation. Thousands of ambulance workers held a second day of strikes on Wednesday, while many schools in Scotland were closed by a teacher walk out.

The PCS union has been carrying out a rolling programme of strikes across different government departments and other public sector bodies over the last month, which has included driving test examiners, border force staff and road traffic officers.

"We warned the government our dispute would escalate if they did not listen, and we’re as good as our word," PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said.

Serwotka said he was meeting with a government minister on Thursday and the dispute could be resolved if more money was offered to its members.

The PCS also said it would next week ballot a further 33,000 members in five more departments, including HM Revenue and Customs, over whether to join the national strike action.

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Michael Holden)

Protests against pension reform must be peaceful, France's largest union says

French President Macron meets with trade unions in Paris

Mon, January 16, 2023

PARIS (Reuters) - Protests against a planned pension reform should remain peaceful, the head of France's largest labour union said on Monday, ahead of strikes and demonstrations which could disrupt parts of public life later this week.

In a rare act of unity, all unions have announced a nationwide day of strike action on Thursday and workers in key sectors like energy, public transport, air travel and schools have said they would take part.

Asked by franceinfo how many people were likely to take to the streets, CFDT leader Laurent Berger said: "I'm not going to announce a figure before the demonstrations take place, but there must be as many people as possible on the streets, and in a peaceful manner."

If adopted by parliament, the reform would raise the legal retirement age to 64 from 62, speed up a gradual lengthening of the contribution period for full benefits and scrap special treatment for employees in certain sectors.- 

Berger reiterated that the CFDT would never back raising the retirement age, but added that, unlike the hard-line CGT union, his organisation had not called for blocking sensitive sectors like refineries or extending the strikes beyond Thursday.

"There will be a day of mobilisation on the 19th, and in the evening there is an inter-union meeting to look at how to proceed," said Berger.

France's Labour Minister Olivier Dussopt said on Sunday he expected quite a large number of people to join the strike.

"It is their right. I hope that this will not result in a blockage of the country because many people want to continue working," he said.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said at the weekend she and her government would be fully mobilised to convince the population that the reform "is fair and that it enables social progress".

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Violence at Indonesia nickel smelter protest kills 2, dozens detained

Sun, January 15, 2023 at 8:56 PM MST·2 min read

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Two workers were killed in clashes and rioting at an Indonesian nickel smelting facility at the weekend, officials said on Monday, after violence erupted during a protest by a labour group demanding better pay and safety.

An Indonesian and a Chinese worker were killed during the unrest at the PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry (GNI) smelter, owned by China's Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry, which involved protesters, workers and security personnel, said Didik Supranoto, a spokesperson for Central Sulawesi police.

Several company vehicles were torched and about 100 dormitory rooms were damaged, Didik said, adding that 71 people were detained and operations at the smelter had been suspended.

GNI launched the smelter in late 2021 with an annual capacity of 1.8 million tonnes and estimated total investment of $2.7 billion.

Protester Minggu Bulu, a member of the labour group and former GNI employee, said there were fatal safety lapses at the facility in the past year, including a motorcycle crashing into heavy machinery and an explosion at the smelter.

GNI could not immediately be reached for comment on the allegation and police were unable to confirm whether deadly accidents had taken place.

"Work health and safety implementation is very poor, so we asked the company to implement it according to the law," Minggu said, adding that workers also lacked proper safety gear.

GNI in a statement said it was investigating the incident.

"The company, together with law enforcement officials, has immediately launched an in-depth and thorough investigation into the incidents that have caused harm to all parties, both material and immaterial losses, and even fatalities," it said.

Violent protests have broken out sporadically in the mineral-rich region of Sulawesi, which has seen a recent investment boom in nickel that is used in electric vehicle batteries.

Indonesia's Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita in a statement offered condolences over the deaths and urged dialogue between workers and management and for regulations to be fully adhered to, including on workers' rights and safety standards.

(Reporting by Ananda Teresia, Fransiska Nangoy, Bernadette Christina Munthe; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty