Diversity Committee
In 2020 we set up a Diversity Committee of employees from different functions and organizational levels. The Committee is tasked with fostering diverse thinking within the organization, and respect and empathy toward others.
Each day, we work to build a work environment that fosters teamwork, respect and ethics. We want to make real progress on diversity and inclusion, in a journey where equal opportunity enhances our ability to positively impact our own business, our industry and the broader market. As part of this strategy, CBA works to ensure high standards of health, safety and quality of life for both direct and third-party employees. We believe physical and emotional well-being, combined with human diversity, enhances our potential to innovate and respond to society’s needs.
Brazil is the 9th most unequal country in the world. At the pace of progress over the last 20 years, black Brazilians will only earn the same as whites in 2089 and Brazilian women will only close the wage gap in 2047. Affirmative action is an effective way to achieve diversity and inclusion by providing equal opportunity and eliminating discrimination at the workplace, helping to reduce the legacy of inequality in heavy industry.
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In 2020 we set up a Diversity Committee of employees from different functions and organizational levels. The Committee is tasked with fostering diverse thinking within the organization, and respect and empathy toward others.
This policy contains guidance on and reiterates CBA’s commitment to ensuring an equitable and respectful work environment and eliminating any form of discrimination within the Company. The Policy has been developed in accordance with the Brazilian Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Abiding by the rules in the Policy is a condition of continued employment with CBA, and this extends to outsourced workers and suppliers.
This guide emphasizes the importance of CBA’s Diversity & Inclusion Policy, and uses a light and inspirational approach to address related topics. It explains, for example, the principle of equality and the difference between diversity, equity and inclusion. It also discusses important topics related to gender, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ and race, all a focus of our diversity and inclusion efforts.
Four working groups have been tasked with identifying opportunities for and promoting equality among minority groups, fostering respect and inclusion within the Company. The four working groups are: Gender Equity, People with Disabilities, LGBTQIA+, and Racial Equality.
If women belong wherever they want to be, then why not in the mining and metals industry? With this question in mind, CBA has recently joined Young SDG Innovators, an acceleration program launched by the Global Compact Network Brazil for young professionals who want to solve business challenges and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through our participation in the Women in Mining and Metals project, which focuses on SDG 5 (gender equity), CBA hopes to demystify the industry for the community and increase women’s employment in this market.
Capacity building for women
In 2020, a program in partnership with the National Industrial Training Service (SENAI) trained 20 women in the Alumínio community to become metallurgical process operators. SENAI provided a total of 200 hours of training, including 24 hours of training on life skills, 16 hours of safety training, and 160 hours of technical training, which was partly administered in person and partly through distance learning. On completing the course, participants were better equipped to find job opportunities. In 2020, nine students were hired to work art CBA. The program will continue in 2021.
Brazil’s occupational injury rates are among the highest in the world, with more than 1 million lost-time injuries occurring between 2014 and 2018, according to data from the Brazilian Social Security Service. Psychological disorders and diseases associated with sedentary lifestyles are also on the rise, directly affecting employee productivity and retention. At CBA, safety is non-negotiable.
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*Fatal injuries or injuries resulting in permanent disability
** Per 1 million MHW
CBA invests continuously in developing an organizational culture that values workplace health and safety as a competitive advantage. Our Safe Behavior Program and other safety tools provide training to raise employee awareness about the importance of identifying unsafe situations, and how to avoid them. Direct and third-party employees are also trained on safety procedures during induction training, as well as receiving statutory training for tasks involving risks. All employees are instructed not to perform tasks if they have identified any risk to their safety. CBA also awards prizes as a way to encourage safe behavior.
Por Você (“For You”) is a wellness program that is open to participation by all employees and their dependents. Program activities span four categories: exercise, nutritional advice, well-being and prevention.
Plenamente is a confidential channel that employees and their spouses and children can contact 24/7 for counseling on financial, legal and psychological issues.
Delivering more than just economic results is an imperative for businesses today. Increasing our ability to create value for the world through our products and services is a valuable opportunity to deliver solutions that address social challenges while also supporting the development of the business and neighboring communities. By establishing communications channels and partnerships with communities, we are striving to build win-win relationships.
In a partnership with the Votorantim Institute, CBA is working to create social value across three pillars: education, economic development and public management support.
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Locations: Alumínio, Niquelândia, Itapissuma, Barro Alto, São Sebastião da Vargem Alegre, Divinolândia and Muriaé.
The Partnership for Education (PVE) program aims to improve public education in the municipalities where Votorantim operates through initiatives in partnership with municipal governments and education offices. The initiative, which has been certified as a Social Technology by the Banco do Brasil Foundation, works toward a goal of improving each municipality’s Basic Education Development Index (IDEB).
Locations: Miraí and Niquelândia.
This program supports economic development in local communities through production cooperatives. Working in partnership with the Votorantim Institute, the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), the ReDes program promotes sustainable development by providing technical and financial support to strengthen inclusive value chains that can generate income opportunities. In a little over ten years, the program has benefited 65 families and eight businesses, generating R$ 1 million in income.
Locations: Alumínio, Araçariguama, Miraí, Muriaé, Barro Alto, Niquelândia, Itapissuma and Igarassu.
The Public Management Support program was created in 2012 to help build the capabilities of municipal governments and strengthen their role as agents of local development. The initiative, in partnership with the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), is dedicated to supporting the municipalities where Votorantim is present. The program is structured into three pillars: management modernization, urban planning and healthcare.
Locations: Alumínio and Niquelândia.
The Votorantim Program for Childhood and Adolescence (Votorantim pela Infância e Adolescência) works to improve quality of life for children and adolescents. Drawing guidance from the Brazilian Constitution and the Statute on Children and Adolescents, the program supports youth whose rights have been violated or who are otherwise at risk, by enhancing the prevention and support strategies of key actors in the Social Protection Network and the Children and Adolescent Rights Advocacy System in municipalities where Votorantim operates.
Location: Miraí.
Engaja methodology uses management tools developed by the Votorantim Institute and implemented by Votorantim portfolio companies to improve engagement with the communities where they operate. The goal of the program is to strengthen risk management and leverage opportunities created by engagement with local stakeholders on different fronts.
Localidade: Alumínio
Empreende is an entrepreneurship program that supports businesses in the form of sole proprietorships. The initiative was created in partnership with Instituto Meio and the Votorantim Institute. Due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, the program is currently providing capacity building support to sole proprietors in Alumínio (SP) using WhatsApp and short video tutorials. The training is provided to small businesses looking to obtain seed capital to implement or improve their business, after a selection process to choose the best candidate projects. The Empreende has awarded four seed capital grants.
Locations: all.
Employees engage in Corporate Volunteering work that meets the needs of their communities, using a wide range of strategies and tools. These include: volunteering games, hackathons, platforms, communications campaigns, on-site and online training, and volunteering to develop skills, supporting our strategy for engagement with internal and external stakeholders.
*To be defined for each municipality in which we operate
CBA has made intensive efforts to strengthen partnerships, expand dialog with communities, and engage with key actors in our local development strategy.