Cyprus Mines Corporation

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The Cyprus Mines Corporation was an early twentieth century American mining company based in Cyprus. In the first decade of the 1900s, Americans came to Cyprus after reading in ancient books that the island was rich in copper, a valuable metal.

Initially the mine struggled, but eventually obstacles were overcome and the mine produced money. Cypriots were hired, and the town of Scouriotissa became a hub because so many miners moved there. The corporation took an old style view of workers based on capitalist paternalism. This included union busting, a 'blame the worker' attitude towards fatal accidents (there were many), corporation funded housing & institutions, and so on.

The owner of CMC was Harvey Seeley Mudd, and he claims his experience with the Cyprus Mines Corporation influenced him to push the study of humanities in the engineering college he started, Harvey Mudd College.

The Cyprus Mines Corporation provided copper to Nazi Germany right up until the start of the World War II. Although it is clear they knew they were giving aid to the Nazi military, the owner of the mine claims he didn't want to put the Cypriots out of jobs by cutting sales to Germany.

Months long strikes took place at 1948, with the collaboration of PEO and the Turkish Cypriot trade unions.

Following the Turkish Invasion in 1974, the mine was north of the cease-fire line in Turkish occupied Cyprus. The Cyprus Mines Corporation pulled out, claiming it could no longer operate in an area not controlled by the government of Cyprus. The mines were left standing. As in most mines, the tailings, waste left over from processing ore, are an environmental disaster, and as of 2006 there are no plans to clean up the tailings. The people of Cyprus are left with neither the income from the mines nor the use of the now polluted land surrounding those mines because they have no way to pay for the cleanup. It has been said yields from neighboring fruit farms have been lowered by contaminated dust blowing in. The effect of the mine is a growing issue for Turkish Cypriot environmentalists and NGOs based in Lefke.

[edit] Later history

In 1979 Cyprus Mines Corporation was acquired by Amoco Corporation. Amoco expanded Cyprus into a diversified worldwide mining company.
Amoco spun off Cyprus Minerals Company in 1985 [1]. In 1986, Cyprus acquired the Sierrita copper and molybdenum mine near Tucson, Arizona.
In 1993, AMAX merged with the Cyprus Minerals Company to form Cyprus Amax Minerals Company. Cyprus-Amax was the world's leading producer of molybdenum and lithium, and a leading producer of copper and coal. The company had operations in 24 states and on six continents.
In late 1999, Cyprus Amax Minerals was acquired by Phelps Dodge Corporation, the current owner.

[edit] Further reading

David Sievert Lavende r (1962). The story of the Cyprus Mines Corporation. San Marino, CA: Huntington Library. LCCN 61014054.
Pantelis Varnava (1998). The common labour struggles of Greek and Turkish Cypriots: Events through history. Nicosia: Pancyprian Federation of Labour. ISBN 9963-7677-3-7.