TIDMPAL
RNS Number : 0752Y
Equatorial Palm Oil plc
17 August 2018
17 August 2018
EQUATORIAL PALM OIL plc
("EPO" or the "Company")
Equatorial Palm Oil Update on its Human Rights Impact Assessment
Process
Actions Taken to Address its Salient Human Rights Issues
Equatorial Palm Oil plc, (AIM: PAL), the AIM listed palm oil
development and production company with operations in Liberia, West
Africa today updates all of it stakeholders regarding its work on
respecting human rights.
On 7 November 2017, EPO released the Executive Summary of its
Human Rights Impact Assessment ("HRIA") which was conducted by
leading business and human rights advisor Anna Triponel.
The Executive Summary can be found at:
http://www.epoil.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/humanrightsimpactassessment-executivesummary2017.pdf
Through this process, EPO identified the salient human rights
issues on which it should focus as a priority in seeking to ensure
that human rights are respected throughout its operations.
Once the HRIA was completed, EPO set about creating an action
plan to act on its recommendations. A meeting of senior management
was held in EPO's Buchanan office in March 2018, at which it was
agreed to establish measurable, time bound commitments for detailed
reviews of and/or action in the areas listed in the HRIA.
EPO now reports on the on-going steps taken to address its
salient human rights issues as follows:
-- Contractor wages and employment status: EPO has established
new criteria based on productivity to evaluate when a contract
worker can be converted to an employee. This is aimed at increasing
the Company's employee to contract worker ratio and will result in
the reduced dependency of contract workers. For those who remain
contract workers, efforts have been made to ensure that they are
appropriately paid for the work provided. For instance, guidelines
have been created which demonstrate the necessary pay on the part
of EPO for specific tasks to ensure a certain wage level is met. At
a minimum, contractors are asked to ensure that they pay their
workers the amount contained in the Decent Work Act (Liberia) and
this is being monitored on a monthly basis by EPO to ensure its
head contractors pay to its contractors the appropriate amount. The
Company also conducts meetings every three months between
management and contractors to discuss any comments, concerns or
issues contractors may have.
-- Accidents on the estates due to holes: EPO has strengthened
its procedures when it comes to the terrain of the estate,
including levelling the harvesters' path, which is where workers
walk to perform their duties when in the field. The Company has
strengthened how patients injured on site and treated in clinics
are recorded and monitored, and how that information is passed on
to the Company.
-- Accidents on the estates due to chemical usage: EPO has
strengthened its procedures to ensure that workers are aware of why
the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is so critical to their
health and to compel their wearing of it. A checklist has been
created which enables supervisors to monitor the use of adequate
PPE by both employees and contractors depending on the task at
hand, and conditions their payment on the proper usage of PPE. A
chemical health risk assessment is planned to be conducted in 2019
upon the building of a new facility for housing chemicals.
-- Impact of use of land on communities: The team responsible
for community relations has been provided additional support to
enable them to maintain and build new community relationships. A
new committee has been created, called a Joint Monitoring
Committee, which brings together community representatives and EPO,
as well as governmental stakeholders, to discuss the implementation
of free, prior and informed consent ("FPIC"). This process includes
site visits at various sites as well as the opportunity for
community members to raise concerns with the implementation of
FPIC. Consequently, community members have asked for increased data
to be provided to them and longer periods of time in which to
conduct monitoring exercises in the future - both of which EPO has
agreed to. Finally, a clear flowchart of the Company's standard
operating procedures related to FPIC has now been published and is
available to all interested stakeholders.
-- Employee housing conditions: EPO is currently discussing
plans to provide additional electrified housing with the relevant
trade union, and a new generator has been approved. Housing
allowances continue to be provided for non-electrified and shared
housing.
-- Exercising the right to freedom of association: All meetings
between the union and EPO management are now documented, which
helps to ensure that issues raised are addressed on a timely basis.
These meetings now occur every 6 months. The Company is in the
process of negotiating the renewal of the collective bargaining
agreements with trade unions.
-- Transportation accidents: EPO's transportation policy is
being finalised, which seeks to prevent accidents through a range
of measures, including by limiting the Company's use of night
driving. The Company has provided training (including outsourced
training) for tractor operators and intends to display copies of
both the transportation policy and emergency response plan in all
vehicles, including tractors, once the policy is finalised.
-- Child labour: If a child is not at school, this is
immediately notified to management to avoid children being utilised
in the fields by parents. The new checklist for supervisors
includes ensuring that workers are not bringing their children to
the fields, whether they are employees or contractors.
-- Transportation of pregnant women: Women who are pregnant are
now provided light duty work around the office and camps. This
ensures that they do not need to take Company transportation and
fulfil tasks that are less physical in nature. A list of pregnant
women is now sent systematically by the clinic to management to
enable this to take place. A Gender Committee has been set up by
women workers that meets every 3 months to discuss measures to
further enhance their rights while working for the Company.
The Company is committed to the ongoing human rights due
diligence process and will continually monitor and evaluate
processes and procedures at it operates to ensure that it respects
human rights throughout its operations. In this regard, the Company
will next update stakeholders on its progress in this very
important area of our business in 2019.
- END -
For further information, please visit www.epoil.co.uk or
contact:
Equatorial Palm Oil plc +44 (0) 20 7016
Geoffrey Brown (Executive Director) 9885
Strand Hanson Limited (Nominated Adviser) +44 (0) 20 7409
James Harris / James Bellman 3494
Mirabaud Securities LLP (Broker) +44 (0) 20 7484
Peter Krens 3510
Notes to editors:
Equatorial Palm Oil plc is an AIM listed crude palm oil
developer and producer with oil palm estates in Liberia, West
Africa. The Company was founded in 2005 and is focused on becoming
a global, sustainable producer of high quality palm oil to regional
and international markets.
With a significant land position in Liberia through its
operating subsidiary Liberian Palm Developments Limited (LPD), the
Company is geographically well positioned to serve the
international and regional markets and is committed to making a
positive impact on the communities in which it operates through
investment in local schools, health clinics, housing and
infrastructure.
The Company's largest shareholder in EPO and 50:50 joint venture
partner in LPD is Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad ("KLK"). KLK is one of
the largest palm oil producers in the world and the Company will
greatly benefit from their many years of expertise in oil palm
development.
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END
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