The Business Year Special Report
Iliana Rodríguez, Vice President of Human Resources, Lundin Gold
What separates Lundin Gold from other companies is its undeterred commitment to the empowerment of women and local communities.
• Interview
How important is it for Lundin Gold to hire local talent and develop a highly qualified mining workforce in Ecuador?
Lundin Gold maintains a sustainability strategy that supports economic development and diversification in the province of Zamora Chinchipe. As part of this strategy, the company prioritizes local labor and local purchases, as well as community investment, in accordance with the so-called “concentric rings.” These are aligned with the political-administrative division in Ecuador and are intended to prioritize the areas closest to Fruta del Norte. Lundin Gold is one of the largest employers in the province.
What methodology have you used to train locals, and what programs do you maintain to allow for a diversification of the local economy beyond mining?
Since 2015, the company has designed an education and training strategy with the objectives of addressing the critical gaps and improving the employability of the local population. Some of the initiatives include an accelerated high school program developed together with the Lundin Foundation, a Canadian non-profit organization supported by the Lundin Group of Companies; Fe y Alegría, a recognized education and social promotion movement; and the Ministry of Education. This was one of the most impactful programs carried out so far, with 210 graduates from local communities obtaining high school diplomas. We also have the heavy machinery operator program to benefit 90 people from the province who did not have the license to operate heavy equipment, despite having the necessary knowledge. So far, 18 of them have been awarded scholarships by the Lundin Foundation. We also had the skills training for construction work program, implemented in 2017 and 2018, which certified 144 people in the areas of construction, welding, metal structures, and assistant electricians; labor skills certification in conjunction with the Ecuadorian Professional
Training Service (SECAP) to provide certifications in metalworking and construction skills; and a mining operation training program to train the first Fruta del Norte Mine and plant operators from Zamora. It was carried out in a 3D virtual reality environment with the use of two state-of-the-art simulators, the first of their kind in Ecuador, combined with on-site training at Fruta del Norte. The program started in September 2018 with an investment of USD7.5 million and ended in October 2019 with a third and final graduating class. In total, 306 participants were incorporated as mine and process plant operators, all from the province of Zamora Chinchipe.
2,500 people work for Fruta del Norte
Women representation above industry standards
How does Lundin gold support women’s empowerment?
Lundin Gold recognizes the importance of promoting the participation of women in the mining industry and reaffirms its commitment to gender inclusion at the highest organizational levels. Our board of directors has adopted a diversity policy and has openly committed to considering women for nomination to the company’s board of directors and management positions. In 2019, the company had 29% women representation in management positions and 30% on the board of directors. As of December 2019, 15% of employees from local communities were women, and, in total, women comprise 13% of company staff. The company has a code of respect that observes gender equality. Likewise, its policies promote diverse work spaces free of discrimination and harassment. Notably, we recently inaugurated nursing and pumping rooms both in our office in Los Encuentros and in our Las Peñas Camp to assist women with infants. Moreover, Lundin Gold maintains a compensation strategy that ensures internal equity. The company is also part of the “Leaders for the SDGs” initiative of the UN Global Compact and actively participated in the SDG 5 roundtable to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. ✖