PT Merdeka Copper Gold, Tbk (IDX: MDKA) continues to strengthen its commitment to providing employees with access to decent jobs that have a positive impact and contribute to the improvement of the economy and worker welfare.
MDKA has been actively working to absorb highly skilled local workers and provide proportional career opportunities for all of its employees.
MDKA is also consistent in facilitating strategic training programs for local and general workers through initiatives designed to enhance career development capacity, including workplace safety aspects, across all of its subsidiaries.
Some of these programs include the Talent Development Program (TDP) and the Mining Apprentice Program (MAP).
Adi Firdaus, Manager of Human Resources for the Pani Gold Project (PGP), explained that the improvement of local community welfare must align with adequate competency development. This ensures that local workers can compete on equal terms with other workers.
"All workers have the same opportunity to develop. However, they must meet the criteria that have been set," he said in a press release on Friday (January 31, 2025).
Meanwhile, the Head of Corporate Communication at MDKA, Tom Malik, emphasized that worker capacity development activities must be accompanied by the principles of equal rights and gender, as well as the enhancement of occupational safety and health (K3) aspects.
By doing so, workers' career competencies can be comprehensively accommodated for each employee.
"Safety and health aspects, along with productivity, are the top three priorities in a mining operation," he stated.
Tom also mentioned that MDKA and all its subsidiaries firmly believe that good safety and health performance is inseparable from optimal productivity.
"This series of training is the company’s effort to enhance employee capabilities while reflecting MDKA's support for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," he explained.
MDKA places workplace safety as a top priority in its operational activities.
This commitment is reflected in the company’s remarkable achievement in its mining areas, which has reached over 14 million work hours without a lost time injury (LTI).
This accomplishment demonstrates MDKA's dedication to creating a safe working environment for all employees and contractors through the implementation of strict safety standards, continuous training, and a safety-oriented work culture.
MDKA’s Efforts to Develop Employees
MDKA's training programs uphold the principles of equal rights and gender, as part of its support for and alignment with the SDGs, particularly goals 3, 4, 5, and 8, which focus on good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, and decent work that drives economic growth.
For example, PGP, MDKA's subsidiary in Gorontalo Province, conducted training for local workers through the Talent Development Program (TDP).
The aim of the activity was to train and enhance the competencies of workers so that they can be more competitive, both in terms of knowledge, skills, and workplace safety.
Additionally, this development program adds value to the local workforce around the company's operations.
Ultimately, the training will improve labor absorption and boost the local economy.
In addition to PGP, PT Batutua Kharisma Permai/PT Batutua Tembaga Raya (PT BKP-BTR), a subsidiary of MDKA that operates the Wetar Copper Mine in Southwest Maluku, has also implemented a series of strategic training programs for local workers through the Mining Apprentice Program (MAP).
Since its launch in 2021, the Mining Apprentice Program (MAP) has been carried out in several batches. In the initial phase, the program was aimed at women from the villages of Lurang and Uhak.
These two villages are located near the BKP-BTR mine site, and the program has since been expanded to other villages in Wetar.
Currently, participants in the training program also come from other islands in Maluku. This program has produced 120 female operators who play a role in the operation of the Wetar Copper Mine.
This initiative highlights the company’s commitment to supporting diversity and inclusivity within the Merdeka group.
A similar effort is being made at PT Bumi Suksesindo (BSI), which operates the Tujuh Bukit Gold Mine. BSI has launched the Female Green Operator program to train women in operating heavy machinery.
Graduates of the program will be hired as permanent employees to operate articulated dump trucks (ADT). This program specifically targets residents from the mining ring area or Ring 1 of Pesanggaran District.
In addition, BSI also runs a Community Development and Empowerment Program (PPM), which focuses on eight pillars of community life.
These eight pillars include: education, health, real income or employment levels, economic independence, social and cultural development, the environment, community institutions, and infrastructure.
As proof of its commitment to employee development, by the end of 2024, MDKA received an "A" rating, independently assessed by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI).
This achievement makes MDKA the only Indonesian mining company to receive an "A" rating in the metals and mining industry, specifically within the diversified metals and mining sub-industry.
The rating reflects MDKA's commitment to conducting activities in a sustainable and responsible manner, creating value for stakeholders, and delivering a positive impact on the economy, environment, employees, and local communities.
