Displaying items by tag: Workers

Germany: HeidelbergCement started the new year better than ever before, according to chief executive officer (CEO) Dominik von Achten. He reported that this had been mainly due to good weather before the onset of the coronavirus outbreak. Von Achten warned that the situation had already changed beyond recognition since mid-February 2020 for the multinational.

He said that the coronavirus outbreak had not only caused plants to be closed, either by enforcement or due to a lack of demand, but because migrant workers are unable to travel to construction sites. For example, workers from Eastern Europe are increasingly lacking in Western Europe. In Indonesia, a market that is important for HeidelbergCement, the lack of Chinese construction workers is stark, as they remain confined to their home country.

According to Von Achten, HeidelbergCement is now paying particular attention to its costs, has deferred all unnecessary investments and has considerable liquidity leeway. He added that the group is likely to benefit significantly from lower fuel costs as conditions improve over the course of 2020. HeidelbergCement is currently particularly affected in Lombardy, where its Italcementi subsidiary has its headquarters. HeidelbergCement has shut down its factories in Italy and imposed a freeze on hiring and non-essential spending. "You can see it's hitting the world like a wave," says Von Achten. "It's a tough test."

India: 13 employees of Jammu and Kashmir Cements Limited (J&K Cements) have been suspended following an incident in which J&K Cements managing director Ishtiyaq Drabu was locked inside the 0.4Mt/yr J&K Cements Khrew plant, where he says he was ‘held hostage and threatened.’ In a charge sheet against the employees, he further alleged that they had ‘left their place of duty unauthorised’ in order to assemble at the main gate, where the trap was sprung. The Daily Excelsior newspaper has reported that the action was taken by the employees in order to demand payment of their salaries. “The intervention of the police saved my life,” said Drabu.

550 J&K Cements employees have not received wages since December 2018 and US$3.91m is missing from the state-owned producer’s pension fund. Drabu has been able to draw his salary every month since his appointment in January 2019.

US: Ireland’s CRH’s subsidiary Ash Grove Cement has engaged the education technology services provider Zovio Employer Services for the development of its higher education opportunities programme in partnership with Ashford University. “This provides employees with access to education to gain the right skill-set to advance into management positions. We also see the programme as a tool to attract new talent,” said Darcy Pugh, Ash Grove Cement Employment and Compensation Manager. Ash Grove plans to offer a tuition assistance benefit to 3000 employees for bachelor’s or master’s degrees at Ashford University. The university will also provide some full tuition grants.

India: Demonstrations are underway at the gates of Uma Cement Industries’ Udhampur plant. Early Times has reported the cause as the alleged laying off of drivers without legal cause or notice. Drivers’ union president Rakesh Raina alleged harassment by Uma Cement Industries as well as irresponsible practices in forcing employees to drive overloaded vehicles.

Philippines: Republic Cement has held a rally assembling over one thousand construction workers at its Norzagaray Plant to aim for five million safe man hours. The cement producer has reached 4.5 million man hours at its expansion projects at Bulacan, Batangas and Iligan. This includes no lost-time injuries or fatalities.

“Safety is not a punishment. It’s not a punishment to wear your helmet, boots, or harness. It’s a gift of life - the life of your fellow workers and of your family,” said
Roy Ruedas, Project Lead at Aboitiz Construction.

Barbados: Arawak Cement plans to introduce alcohol breath tests for all of its workers in late March 2019. Previously the cement producer had been conducting random tests, according to the Barbados Today newspaper. The introduction date for the breath test has been delayed following negotiations with the Barbados Workers Union. Multiple breaches of the company’s alcohol rules could lead to drug treatment, counselling or discipline. The cement producer says it has introduced the alcohol testing on health and safety grounds.

Germany: The RKW Group came second in a study into ‘Germany's Most Sought-After Employer 2018’ by the FAZ Institute and the IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research. The institutes looked at the 5000 largest companies in the country and scored them by quality, performance, success, sustainability, corporate culture and values.

The RKW Group is a family-owned company headquartered in Frankenthal, Germany and a manufacturer of film solutions for hygiene, agricultural and beverage sectors. It also produces packaging for powdery goods. In addition, the company makes films and nonwovens for medical applications, for the chemical and converting industries as well as for the construction sector.

Bolivia: A group of retired workers who used to work for Sociedad Boliviana de Cemento (Soboce) have asked for a 10% share in the cement producer. They have made their request to the company’s largest shareholder, the businessman and politician Samuel Doria Medina, according to the La Razon newspaper. They were allocated a 10% share in the business in 1975. However, the pensioners allege that Doria Medina cancelled their shares using false documentation. Doria Medina holds a 49% share in the company. He sold the other 51% share for US$300m to Holding Cementero, the largest shareholder of Consorcio Cementero del Sur, which is part of Gloria Group in 2014.

Israel: Nesher Israel Cement has dismissed 20 workers at its Haifa plant. The redundancies took place in October 2018 due to a fall in production, according to the Globes newspaper. The company is also considering making staff change at its Ramla plant. Previously, Israeli cement producers have blamed Turkey and Greece for declining business and have lobbied for anti-dumping tariffs.

Chile: Union workers at Cemento Polpaico have gone on strike following negotiations. 162 workers, or around 15% of its employees, have taken industrial action, according to the Diario Financiero newspaper. The cement producer is unable to estimate the impact of the strike on its financial results.