ESG
Being a Good Employer
Taking a proactive and responsible approach to labour relations and practices, prioritising training and development and valuing diversity.
2023 highlights
- 100% local employment at Blanket
- 25% women on the Board
- 33% women in senior corporate management
- 0.6% employee turnover
In line with Zimbabwean legislation, all our employees are free to join trade unions with no restrictions on which union employees should choose. We are committed to productive and positive labour relations and engage in continuous dialogue with our people through regular statutory works council meetings with employee leaders as well as impromptu meetings as and when necessary. Our employees are rewarded with competitive remuneration packages which are commensurate with their qualifications, experience and expertise, with wages set above statutory minimum rates for the mining industry in Zimbabwe. 100% of salaries are paid in US dollars to insulate employees from local currency devaluation.
We constantly invest in training to develop and enhance the knowledge and skills of our employees to ensure we can meet both our commercial goals and their personal development goals, now and in the future. Each year we run a range of employee training programmes comprising formal and informal approaches including skills shadowing and on-the-job development, technical training for specific job functions, formal training and development programmes and on-going educational opportunities.
We know a diverse workforce is a better workforce, and that diversity provides the wide range of thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to run a successful company, as well as a deeper talent pool from which to select our workforce. Our hiring practices include consideration of a range of aspects including gender. Women have traditionally been under-represented in the mining sector, particularly in rural areas of developing countries. We strive to ensure diversity at all levels throughout Caledonia, including at Board level, and the Board’s Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee considers diversity as part of the Board composition.
CASE STUDY
Employee Spotlight – Veronica Magoga
Veronica Magoga fondly remembers her family pleading with her to become a
doctor. When she began looking into higher education options in her home-country
of Zimbabwe, she says that she was less-than-subtly encouraged to go into the
medical field. Despite her family’s prodding, however, Veronica could not get excited about working in medicine, having a different challenge in mind. She dreamt about working in an industry that would push her, while allowing her to flourish both personally and professionally. The answer to this, she found, was in mining. After enrolling in the Zimbabwe School of Mines, Veronica completed an industrial attachment at a local mine, going on to receive a Diploma in Mining in 2015. By 2017, she had earned her full blasting license, and joined Blanket as an Acting Overseer Miner a year later.
Breaking Down Barriers
As Blanket’s first female overseer at the mine, Veronica admits that it was challenging at first. The mining industry still tends to be male dominated, so not only was she the only female overseer, she was also the only woman in her entire department. She had to work extra hard to prove that women in her position are just as capable of carrying out the duties required for the role. But Blanket, she says, provided an environment that has allowed her to prosper. Through participating in programmes based on empowering and educating employees, Veronica was committed to becoming the best employee she could be. Veronica’s hard work did not go unnoticed, and she was promoted to Mine Captain in 2022. In this role, she has led her team to success, helping to set targets and ensuring that production and safety goals are continuously met. Veronica works to keep her team motivated, while coaching them to meet their professional goals. Recently, she has worked with other managers to cocreate a new training initiative, with a focus on helping management teams feel empowered and supported to achieve their goals.
Targeting Success
Now, Veronica feels she must have done something right. She sees the proportion of female workers in her department growing and feels proud of the example she has set.
“I was the pioneer, so now seeing the department grow to include other women, it must have meant I was doing something right.”