Originally part of IKN36
The blog and (to some extent at least) the Weekly often throw brickbats at regional mining companies that are not doing things the right way, be that via dubious working practices, bad relationships with locals, causing environmental damage or whatever else. So it’s good to report on a mining company that is doing things the right way. Also, as this company is not listed in any of the northern stock exchanges it’s unlikely that its story will get much traction in the English media. This a is a pity, because if more mining companies followed the example of Poderosa S.A. (Lima stock exchange, PODERC1) the industry would be better accepted and better liked by the wider world. Here follows a direct translation of a report in Peru’s regional newspaper, ‘Noticias de Trujillo’:
The Poderosa Mining Company Wins Prize for Social Responsibility
Wednesday, December 30th 2009
The project which brought informal artisanal miners into formal employment has allowed the company to win second place in the competition organized by government office ‘Peru
Thanks to the results from its project “Formalization of Artisanal miners’ that took place in the Pataz district of northern Peru, in which 19 informal artisanal miners were fully incorporated into formal employment sector, 22 achieved the nationally recognized qualification of ‘artisanal miner’ and another 60 are now on the formalization track, Compañia Minera Poderosa won second place in the sixth Peru 2021 competition ‘Peru 2021 for Social Responsibility’ organized by Peru 2021 and in which companies in different sectors in all regions of the country participated.
The ‘Peru 2021 for Social Responsibility’ prize is awarded as a recognition for good business practices and is judged on seven different criteria that highlight shareholders, collaborators, clients, suppliers and the community amongst others.
Under this context, Jimena Sologuren Arias, head of Social Responsibility of the Poderosa S.A mining company, stated that the prize won by the company is a recognition for the efforts and trust of many artisanal miners in the Pataz district where Poderosa S.A operates. ”From the beginning of the project the artisanal miners were willing to work and to comply with all legal requirements. They have been the driving force of their own development and have understood that the road to formal employment has more opportunities and also protects the environment”, she said.
José Chueca Romero, President of Peru 2021, thanked all the companies that participated in the competition and noted the efforts made to continue improving the quality of life for thousands of people in Peru. “The work that has been done in the target zones by the projects is important; this will help to have a prosperous Peru and make our national development sustainable”, he said.
The Poderosa Mining Company started operations 33 years ago in the Pataz district of the same named province. The good times that the gold mining sector are currently experiencing have helped Poderosa continue in its royalties contributions as well as aiming for sustainable development in the district. This is reflected in the positive results of the company projects and even more by the deserved ‘Peru 2021 for Social Responsibility’ prize.