Employability & Social protection

Employability and basic skills

Studies carried out in various countries confirm that adults whose basic skills are limited are more likely to find themselves unemployed, in unqualified jobs and with poor health and that they risk passing on their lack of skills to their children. At Imerys, these people can also encounter difficulties understanding the safety instructions displayed in plants.
In order to combat illiteracy, since 2006 the Human Resources Department has encouraged its divisions to implement training in basic skills (reading and writing) for their employees. Initiatives have also been carried out in England, Brazil, Thailand, South Africa and France.


Basic social protection for all

Imerys strives to offer all its employees social protection in line with local standards, particularly in relation to death and disability coverage. Each year, the Compensation and Benefits department analyzes social benefits schemes in place in a certain number of countries where Imerys operates. It identifies areas of progress and implements new schemes whenever necessary.

In 2009, for instance, benefits schemes were optimized in China and South America (particularly in Brazil, Argentina and Chile) for nearly 3,000 employees. In 2011, social protection was improved in Tunisia, Spain and Ukraine, covering more than 600 employees. The next countries affected could be India and Turkey.