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Employee Relations | Sustainability | Bukit Berlian
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Employee Relations

Employee Relations

1. Employment Practices
Employees are a key asset. We are committed to being a responsible employer by continuously providing appropriate skills training to our employees, understanding their aspirations, upholding and protecting their rights, and taking care of their welfare by providing a safe working environment. The majority of our employees work on our plantations and palm oil mills. We strive to employ local people originating from our operational areas. This gives us a better understanding of the local culture and helps us contribute to the growth of the local economy through job creation.

Equal Opportunities
The Group believes in equal opportunities for all. We off¬er job opportunities based on competence, skills and experience, regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, or gender. We treat all employees equally and reward them fairly based on merit. However, due to the manual work nature of the plantation activities, our plantation and mill workers are predominately male. While male workers perform heavier physical tasks, like harvesting FFB and carrying them to trucks for transportation to the palm oil mills, women are assigned tasks like weeding, fertilising and collecting loose fruits that have fallen to the ground.

Forced and Child Labour
In accordance with national labour laws and regulations, Bukit Berlian Plantation does not tolerate forced labour or the employment of under-aged children. Our recruitment policies, work practices and procedures ensure that all employees are above 18 years of age and that they understand their rights and obligations. It is against Bukit Berlian Plantation policy for children under the national working age to assist their parents in our plantations. We provide day care facilities at the plantations and employees with children are required to leave their children in the day care centres before they enter the plantations.

Freedom of Association and Industrial Relations
The Bukit Berlian Plantation supports the freedom of all employees to form unions as a channel to communicate their expectations and aspirations. Each subsidiary and their labour union representatives have agreed upon a Collective Labour Agreement which is aimed at protecting the employees and the Group’s rights and obligations. All our employees are protected by the Collective Labour Agreement which covers industrial relations, working hours, remuneration, out-of-post assignments and transfers, social security and welfare, occupational health and safety, as well as employment termination.

We hold focus group discussions and meetings at least once a year with the labour unions which aim to take into consideration the aspirations, suggestions, inputs and criticisms from our employees. All employees can also convey their aspirations through the human resource department. The Group communicates all changes related to employment via emails, circulars, or its internal portal.

Remuneration and Benefits
The level of remuneration and benefits we o¬ffer depends on the performance, competency, level of achievement and the amount of responsibility undertaken by the employee.

Minimum Wages and Benefits
The minimum wage in Indonesia di¬ffers from province to province as it is set by provincial and district authorities. We comply with the minimum wages stipulated by the local government. Employees also have variable components in their remuneration which are linked to individual and Group performance. We also provide additional benefits to our employees and the benefits received by permanent employees di¬ffer from that received by non-permanent employees.

Estate Living
We aim to provide a safe and healthy living environment for our employees and their families living on the estates. Currently, the following services and amenities are provided to our estate employees :
• Housing and sanitation for permanent employees
• Portable water and electricity
• Medical care in our clinics
• Education for their children
• Proper road infrastructure within the estate and leading to the main roads
• Proper facilities for recreation and worship
• Emergency response equipment such as first aid kits and fire extinguishers

Human Development
Recruiting, developing and retaining talented people are a priority. We are continuously investing and improving our staff development programmes to strengthen our human capital.

2. Occupational Health & Safety
We are committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for all employees. We progressively implement the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Management System in our estates. The OHS Management System complies with local regulations, which includes hazard identification and prevention, risk assessment and management, programme evaluation and continuous management system improvement.

Our Health and Safety Committees, which comprises management and staff representatives, are responsible for identifying potential hazards, evaluating these potential hazards, recommending corrective actions, following up on implemented recommendations, providing employees with education and training, and developing a grievance mechanism. In addition, we have employees who are members of the Emergency Response Team (ERT). Should a crisis occur, the ERT will be mobilised to respond to the crisis in accordance with the Group’s policies and procedures.

OHS messages are delivered daily through morning meetings. In addition, we have OHS manuals and procedures, working instructions, first aid practices, emergency responses and other health and safety activities to ensure all employees are aware of the health and safety risks related to their jobs. OHS aspects are also incorporated into the Collective Labour Agreement with the workers’ union. It includes provisions such as equipping estate workers with personal protective equipment and setting up of a Health & Safety Committee.

To ensure the health of our employees and their families, we have medical teams in every operational area. Our medical teams conduct routine check-ups and deliver various health programmes that aim to increase the awareness of a healthy lifestyle which include healthy living tips, health education, and counselling related to chronic diseases.

We aim to reduce accidents, injuries and fatalities in our operations. Every work accident is recorded and evaluated. Recommendations made are then implemented to prevent or reduce recurrence of similar incidents.

The main hazards in plantations are falling sharp fronds and bunches during the harvesting process and sharp fronds on the ground. To minimise risk of injury in our plantations, all harvesters are provided with safety helmets, gloves and boots. Hazards in the palm oil mills include overhead sling conveyors, slippery floors, hot steam and loud noises. Workers are briefed at daily shift meetings to reinforce safety vigilance