JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – CEO of PT Tbk (INCO) Febriany Eddy said that her party strongly encourages the role of women to contribute significantly to the extractive sector. So far, the composition at PT Vale is still below 9 percent.
“We are targeting the involvement of the role of women in PT Vale to grow to 10 percent by the end of this year,” Febriany said in a press release Wednesday (4/10/2023).
She said women’s interest in the extractive sector still needs to grow. This is reflected in the opening of job vacancies by companies.
“Of all the applications this year, which reached more than 6,000 applications, only 21 percent of applicants were women. This shows that, in general, women’s interest in applying to mining companies is still low and makes it difficult for us to increase the composition of female workers,” he said.
Febri said that his party continues to encourage efforts to increase the role of women in the extractive sector in line with the government’s efforts to promote gender equality in various aspects.
Currently, the role of women in various sectors continues to increase, where many women have occupied important positions in various public institutions such as ministries, state institutions, BUMN / BUMD, regional heads companies, and business organizations.
Although the role of women in the oil and gas and mining extractive sectors shows an improving trend, the National Labor Force Survey in August 2021 shows that the proportion of female workers in Indonesia’s extractive industry has tended to decline in the last three years.
“The proportion of women workers in the oil and gas and mining sectors is less than 10 percent,” he said.
Therefore, Febri strongly supports the greater involvement of women in this extractive sector. Moreover, the G20 Presidency in 2022 has produced the Bali Leaders Declaration, one of which, in point 46, concerns the commitment to gender equality and woman empowerment.
“So far, the extractive industry is still seen as a very masculine industry. But we will provide a lot of space for women to join,” said Febri.
Febri also emphasized the importance of preventing gender discrimination, including harassment against women. According to him, this is not just a slogan but an example while ensuring the company is concerned about protecting female workers.
“Without making these provisions, we will not be able to attract more women to join the extractive industry,” she said.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, PT Vale provided flexible work policies for its workers, including female workers. Currently, Vale still adopts 100 percent work from home for possible jobs, which is undoubtedly very helpful for female workers.
“We do all this because the company understands the position of women, and the work-from-home scheme is beneficial for women,” Febri said.
Vale’s concern is how to encourage more women to work in the extractive sector. To realize this achievement, Vale is actively campaigning in many universities to socialize with young talents about the changing mining world.
“The mining world belongs not only to men but also to women and everyone. Any talent that wants to contribute to the mining sector, we will provide ample space,” Febri said.
Indonesian EITI MSG member and Senior Researcher of the Indonesia Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) Astrid Debora Meliala explained that the government has homework (PR) to oversee the implementation of gender equality implementation that has been mandated in regulations, including incentives and disincentives and requiring companies to include gender issues with appropriate indicators in various reporting obligations.
Meanwhile, companies must take a stand through policies by considering women’s perspectives and providing a supportive and inclusive environment.
“On the other hand, civil society must always be active in voicing gender equality issues from the site level to the policy level, including gender issues in various initiative reports,” said Debora.
Source: Kompas. id