Chief stands firm ( Evening Chronicle ) December 10, 2002


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Chief stands firm

By Rebecca Baxter, Evening Chronicle
ICNewcastle, UKDec 10 2002

A town hall chief has rejected calls to cancel a multi-million pound building contract with a controversial Japanese firm.Protesters claim construction giant Kajima should not be allowed to build four schools in Whitley Bay and Wallsend because of its human rights record.

They insist Kajima, which has an office in Burma and ran a forced labour mine during the last war, should not get the £33.5 million contract.And tonight they plan to picket North Tyneside Council offices in protest.

But John Marsden, authority chief executive, insisted the deal would go ahead. He said: "Although the parent company was involved in distressing events 60 years ago, Kajima UK is today a highly successful company."There are very strict rules to ensure councils award contracts on merit and that personal interests and `political correctness' can play no part."Not only does North Tyneside council have no legal grounds on which to cancel the selection process, to do so would have the direst potential financial consequences for the borough."

But protester Mark Rainbow, 39, said: "We are protesting against the appointment of Kajima as preferred bidder because of its involvement in Burma."

Burma, now Myanmar, has such an appalling human rights record that world governments are refusing to trade with or invest there.It is the first time Kajima has carried out a project in the region. They will also provide maintenance and catering for the schools.

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