Chatree Gold Mine is located 280 kilometres north of Bangkok on the provincial border between Phichit and Phetchabun provinces. The many villages around Chatree still lead a predominantly agrarian lifestyle, with rice growing as the main activity. It is important, therefore, that Chatree is a good corporate citizen for our immediate neighbours and in Thailand generally.
Corporate social responsibility at Chatree is a continual commitment by our business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development in the local area improving the quality of life of our workforce and their families as well as the local communities in which we operate.
Chatree also places a high emphasis on minimising the impact of mining operations to those living and working nearby. We seek to achieve this through regular meetings and consultation with local government and village groups and through assisting the community in times of need.
Our Community Relations & Corporate Social Responsibility Department is made up of a dedicated team of key personnel that report to the CEO. We have implemented a strong community affairs programme under which we have initiated a number of community related projects with the objective of improving and growing the local provincial economics.
Health & Education
These include the installation of water systems in local villages, the construction of new roads, the paving of old village roads, the rebuilding of local schools, sponsorship of educational programmes and sponsorship of a local festivals and sporting events.
In addition to financing the these initiatives with our cashflow, we also contribute to the Environment Mitigation & Community Development Funds together with The Mining Industry Regulators & Provincial Government where long term employment generating sustainable projects are proposed from a grass-roots approach, approved by authorities.
There are four main community funds which have been established and these are:
- The EIA Fund for any environmental impact;
- Or Bor Tor Funds;
- Village Funds; and
- An Akara for Communities Fund.
Committees have been formed to manage each fund which is made up of government officials, village leaders, and employees from Chatree to ensure transparency and diligent project management.
Through these important community development programmes, we seek to strengthen our relationships with stakeholders of our company.
Environment & Safety
As one of the main employers in the province, we also take pride in value adding to the community. We operate our business in a responsible manner by taking care of the environment where we work on a long term basis.
Our record of good community stewardship is long and impressive.
For example, in 2007, we obtained certification of the Chatree operation under the International SA8000 Standard for Social Accountability and the Thai Labour Standard (TLS 8001).
These standards provide for labour protection, welfare, employee relations and others, as well as the Conventions of the International Labour Organisation and of the United Nations.
In 2009, we were awarded the Thai Prime Minister’s “Best Labour Relations and Welfare Award”. We received this award from the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, Ministry of Labour for being recognised as an outstanding establishment for achievement in the areas of labour relations and welfare.
Chatree has now received a total of four Welfare and Relations Awards from the Thai Authorities as well as the Best Employer Award from Aon Hewitt and Sasin University in 2012.
We have also been awarded the Thailand National Occupational Safety and Health Awards in 2012 and again in 2013 as one of the winning companies in the division of all companies in Thailand with over 500 employees.
As of June 2013, Chatree has also been free of lost time injuries for the tenth year in a row. This is an exemplary safety record and would be difficult to achieve without having the right workplace culture and frameworks in place.
Our business is really all about people – the workforce and the community around Chatree make up the lifeblood of the operation.
We will continue with our commitment to be good responsible neighbours for our local communities and we will continue to provide opportunities to those who want to work and grow with us.
Akara’s Health Scorecard
Here at Akara Resources we take the health of our employees and the surrounding environment very seriously. To ensure the safety of our people and the surrounding community, we regularly run health and environmental tests to make sure we are operating in a safe, healthy and sustainable way.
We’re very proud of the fact that we run a clean healthy operation and the proof is in our test results which can you can read here. Please have a look and see for yourself.
Akara Resources is committed to maintaining a healthy working environment for both our staff and our neighbours.
The water and health test results, you can download the attachment here.