In  Serbia Zijin Copper, we are committed to the responsible management of our mines. Our priority is to maintain harmonious relations with the local community, while reducing the impact on the environment. By supporting our commitment to responsibility, we protect our license to operate so that we can continue to create wealth for our employees, our host community and shareholders. Therefore, responsible mining is a business imperative and the foundation of Serbia Zijin Copper business operations.

We are committed to developing not only the mines, but also the local community in which we operate. By sharing the wealth we create with the local community and by building harmonious relationships, we maintain long-term business.

Serbia Zijin Copper seeks to improve local socio-economic conditions through employment, training and support for education and infrastructure. The company respects local heritage and culture and is committed to international human rights standards wherever we do business. We strive to establish long-term, sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships with the local community in which we do our business.

■ Contributions

Adhering to the belief that harmony breeds wealth, and that it is therefore important that the Company, its people and the local community develop together, Serbia Zijin Copper pays great attention to the sustainable development of the environment in which it operates. It believes in building good relations based on dialogue and mutual trust and in contact with the local community, seeks to identify its needs and problems. In the light of sustainable and constructive cooperation, last year, the Company actively supported the development of the local communities in whose territories it operates, and in order to improve health conditions, traffic infrastructure, culture, education, traditional arts and entertainment contents for children, it allocated over USD 150,000.

In order to help Serbia in the fight against the pandemic, the Company, together with Serbia Zijin Mining, donated medical equipment and protective material, as well as a virus testing laboratory called „Fiery Eye“ in Niš to the relevant Republic institutions. The total value of this donation reached almost USD 1 million.

At the end of June, 2021, the Company had a total of 5,715 employees, and 97 % of that number are the Serbian citizens. Since December, 2018, the total number of employees has increased by 1,518 new employees.

In the first half of 2021, the average monthly net income of employees amounted to RSD 98,774. Compared to 2020, it is 6.75% higher, while compared to 2019, the average net income of employees is now 17.23% higher. Compared to 2018, the average salary in 2021 is higher by 48.64 percent. Compared to the average net salaries paid in Serbia, the Company’s employees receive a 54.55 % higher salary.

■ Local community development

In order to define a clear way of communication and exchange of information with the social community, the Company established a work group for coordination of relations with the local communities in the city of Bor.

We expect contact with the local community so as to identify its needs and problems. We welcome sustainable and constructive cooperation with local governments, indigenous groups, non-governmental organizations and individuals.

The Company firmly believes that in the near future, the city of Bor, through joint efforts, will become the second largest base of the copper industry in Europe and that it will contribute to a greater wealth of the local surroundings in which it operates.

■ Stakeholder engagement

Hoping to boost the economy and employment, Serbia Zijin Copper has entered into business cooperation with a number of local companies in the fields of engineering design, construction, technical services, thus more than a half of the population in Bor and Majdanpek directly or indirectly benefits from the Company. The Company strives to form as many job positions as possible for the local population and to build a local supply chain in order to achieve mutual development with the local communities in whose territories it operates.

■ Professional training

In Serbia Zijin Copper we understand the value of educational opportunities in local communities. The Company provides an excellent platform for the development of brilliant professional staff and talented students in the field of management. The Company delivered the internship contracts to the graduates of the Technical Faculty in Bor, which are in effect until their graduation and include five hours of work in the Company, two hours of learning the Chinese language, as well as monthly monetary fee.