The role of employee capacity building in reducing mining company-community conflicts in Peru

Based on expenditure, Peru is the third destination worldwide in exploration. Peru is also the world’s leading producer of silver, second in copper and zinc, and sixth in gold. However, mining conflicts in Peru have spread considerably over the last decade. The Peruvian government has not been able to successfully promote the benefits of the industry to local communities, nor has it been able to effectively address grievances. Mining companies will need to explore new initiatives to acquire and retain the social license to operate, as well as strengthening the social capital needed to keep mining in a country with proven mineralogical riches and a historic mining culture. This research project explores the opinions and experiences surrounding a resource often overlooked by companies: the human resource. In order to gather information regarding initiatives to improve company-community relations, more than 30 surveys were conducted among professionals working at mines in the Peruvian mining industry. This research project also explored the effectiveness of training mining personnel in community affairs as an initiative to improve relations with local communities. The results showed that mining company employees acknowledge that they play an important role in the development of company-community relations. They consider that the deterioration of such relations may also originate in the way employee-community relations are managed. The research also showed that employees are willing to develop capacities to effectively interact with local communities. Mining company employees provided their recommendations in order to contribute to success in a location where cultural differences have not been properly considered. Finally, participants also expressed their opinions regarding organizational cultures and the impact of management commitment (or lack thereof) on community affairs.Applied Science, Faculty ofMining Engineering, Keevil Institute ofGraduat