AssessIng our Impacts on Human Rights
As part of CAML’s commitment to human rights, as outlined in its Human Rights policy, the first Human Rights impact assessment was conducted in 2022. The United Nation’s Guiding Principles were consulted in order to produce a scope of work which covered the following material impact areas as identified through an internal risk mapping process;
- impacts on labour force, including working conditions (including health and safety measures), fair pay and diverse and non-discriminatory recruitment;
- impacts along supply chains, namely around partnerships with suppliers and contractors, and due diligence within company procurement practices; and
- impacts on communities and project-affected persons through Group operations and grievance mechanisms within community engagement.
Following the risk mapping exercise and development of the impact assessment scope, the General Counsel attended site visits where meetings were held with all relevant departments including the following.
- Health and safety
- Human resources
- Legal
- Environment
- Community
- Procurement
Follow-up discussions were held with employee representatives to ascertain how grievances are handled and to confirm the efficacy of the collective agreement. Topic areas of discussion included:
- frequency of labour inspection visits and compliance, with recommendations following such visits, health and safety training hours and frequency, preliminary results of the social assessment for new suppliers, diversity initiatives in recruitment, grievance frequency and resolution procedures;
- process management surrounding changes to standard operating procedures, particularly following accidents or near-misses; and
- engagement with the surrounding communities during the course of the ESIA for the transition to the paste fill mining method.
Findings were compiled in a report which contained both observations and recommendations for further consideration and implementation. Examples of findings and recommendations included:
- adequate community engagement during the course of the ESIA;
- sufficient non-judicial grievance mechanisms within the stakeholder engagement plan; and
- proposal to conduct an industrial hygiene risk assessment, improvements in logging employee grievances, as well as broader diversity initiatives and measures.
The results of the Human Rights impact assessment were communicated to the Sustainability Committee during the quarterly meeting in 2023 and work is on-going.
UN SDG
We contribute to the economic growth and sustainable development of our countries of operation by providing fair wages and meaningful employment, prioritising local procurement to support regional economies, paying taxes transparently, and upholding human rights. We strictly prohibit modern slavery, child labour and human trafficking across our operations and supply chains. We believe that ethical stewardship and responsible sourcing are not only essential to effective risk management but also fundamental to delivering long-term value for all our stakeholders.