Labor Policies and Practices
Our labor policies and practices include:
- Labor-Management Relations – We acknowledge and respect workers’ rights to enter into collective bargaining relationships.
- Training and Education – We provide training to help build skills for current or future job assignments. All employees are given an equal opportunity to participate in training and education programs supported by the company. Tuition may be reimbursed for employees who pursue academic studies in addition to performing their work.
- Equal Opportunity – We provide equal opportunity in employment, promotions, wages, benefits and terms and conditions of employment, as detailed in the Employee Handbook-Saskatoon (Canada) and the Employee Handbook-Northbrook (US).
- Workplace Health and Safety – We provide a healthy and safe work environment for all employees and contractors. Our goal is to achieve no harm to people.
- Accident Prevention – Our safety system is based on many different programs such as best practices, Behavior Accident Prevention Process (BAPP®), training, audits, engineering, process safety management and key procedures. The program is led by the Senior Safety Leadership Team which includes the COO; President, PCS Potash; President, PCS Phosphate and PCS Nitrogen; Vice President, Safety, Health and Environment; Vice President, Phosphate and Nitrogen Operations; and Senior Director, Safety and Health. We ensure that all employees and contractors are trained, engaged and committed to safety and health improvement processes. Each facility also prepares an annual Safety Action Plan to address performance in behavior-based safety, key procedures, contract employee safety processes, safety management and organizational culture.
- Joint Health and Safety Committees – These committees represent the potash workforce, as required by law. The phosphate and nitrogen workforces have voluntary management-worker committees to address health and safety concerns. Committees are headquartered at each facility.
- Recording and Reporting Accident Statistics – Our safety, health and environment management system prescribes a specific, timely reporting requirement for SHE events. We comply with the International Labor Organization’s Code of Practice on Recording and Notification of Occupational Accidents and Diseases. We also follow reporting and notification requirements in the United States, Canada and Trinidad.
- Programs for Serious Diseases – Employees with a chronic or life-threatening illness are treated in the same manner as other employees, provided they perform the duties of their positions and their health conditions are not a hazard to themselves or others. Discriminatory acts by employees against workers with a chronic or life-threatening illness are unacceptable, and the offenders may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination. PotashCorp complies with applicable privacy laws by treating all employee medical information as confidential. Without medical evidence to the contrary, we do not believe that the presence of an employee with a chronic or life-threatening illness, including AIDS, poses a workplace hazard. Such employees will not be subject to different or unusual treatment, unless those actions are medically necessary to protect their safety or the safety of others.
Our Trinidad operation has an HIV/AIDS program that provides education and training, counseling, prevention and risk control for workers.
- Employment Benefits – Benefits to our full-time workers in the US and Canada include health care, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, disability coverage, pension plans, maternity/parental leave, a savings plan, short-term incentive plan and stock ownership through the company’s savings plans. Temporary employees in Canada (but not in the United States) qualify for life insurance, health care, AD&D insurance and parental leave.
- Notification Provisions – In Canada, collective bargaining agreements and provincial labor legislation require one to eight weeks’ minimum notice for layoffs, usually depending on the employee’s length of employment. In the United States, the notice period depends on the circumstances but ranges from two weeks to sixty days. Under specific circumstances involving a significant change in the employer’s operation of the business, “technological change” legislation and collective agreement language may require more extensive notice periods and negotiation between the parties. Prior to temporary layoffs, we advise employees and/or their elected representatives. However, terms and conditions for layoffs remain as previously negotiated and/or as defined by company policy.
- Transition Assistance Programs – We provide limited transitional assistance to support employees who retire or are terminated. The approach varies among countries.
Management Process
PotashCorp uses several processes to ensure employment and workplace safety policies are followed. Management:
- Establishes management-worker committees to address health and safety concerns;
- Provides annual training on process hazards, health and safety, emergency procedures and safe work practices;
- Develops hazard control strategies to control incidents at or near the source through elimination, substitution, isolation and/or effective local ventilation;
- Establishes health and safety criteria – including ergonomic considerations – for selecting materials, tools and equipment;
- Completes accident investigations and corrective actions as soon as possible, always within one year;
- Performs health and safety audits to measure the effect of health and safety initiatives, including annual company-wide Key Procedure Audits, BAPP® sustainability reviews, and general health and safety audits (at Canadian operations). Organizational Culture Diagnostic Instrument audits are held every two years.
