Cienaga, July 28, 2016
On July 26, Drummond Ltd. attended a meeting organized by the Ministry of Labor to deal with matters related to the health of the company’s workers, and the treatment they have been receiving from the Social Security System´s institutions in Colombia. In this regard, we would like to make the following statements:
- Drummond Ltd. is grateful for the invitation made by Dr. Clara López Obregón, Minister of Labor, to engage in an open and proactive discussion on topics relevant to the sector, given that the problem discussed in the meeting occurs not only in Drummond, nor is it exclusive to the mining industry, but it is rather a circumstance seen across the country and in different sectors, as recognized by the Minister herself.
- At the beginning of 2015, a meeting was held at the offices of the Ministry of Labor in Bogotá, with the participation of multiple sectors of the Colombian economy, in which they unanimously expressed their concern at the overwhelming increase in workers with employment restrictions, and the impacts this problem generates for the employee, the Social Security system, and the country’s gross domestic product, as well as putting at risk the sustainability of several of these industries. At that time the Ministry was asked to engage in a study to characterize the problem, in order to design public policies for dealing with and resolving it.
- Regarding health and safety on the job, we must keep to mind that Drummond has implemented a Management System certified by Lloyd’s Register under the OHSAS 18001 standard, which is periodically audited by that certifying agency, by government institutions, and by third parties interested in its functioning, producing excellent results. In fact, we have been extended domestic and international invitations to present our system as an example to follow.
- The statistics on employees with occupational illnesses and work-related accidents presented by the organizations attending the meeting on July 26 are not true, and we are unaware of the sources from which they were obtained. For that reason, we invited the Ministry to take a direct look at our statistics.
- Bearing in mind that workers’ health and their respective medical records must be managed confidentially, as established by the current Colombian legislation, the proposal was made to the Ministry to put together, along with the company and the ARL Colmena, technical discussion tables to review each case in its proper context, with the participation of the employee, to confirm how each case has been handled.
- At the closing of the meeting, the Minister expressed that she would promote from the Ministry the evaluation of this problem at the national level with the participation of other government institutions, and that at the regional level she issues presented should also continue to be evaluated.
Drummond would like to reiterate its complete availability to participate in technical discussion tables to review in depth the cases of its workers, and reaffirms its confidence in its system for managing its processes, which includes mechanisms for assessment and continuous improvement.