Brazilian and Norwegian unions meet to kick off dialog

For the first time, board members Sten Roar Martinsen and Billy Fredagsvik met with union leaders representing the Paragominas mine on Wednesday and with representatives from the Barcarena-based Albras aluminium smelter on Friday. Martinsen and Fredagsvik have earlier had a similar meeting with representatives of the Alunorte alumina refinery.

In addition to talks on the structure and principles for union dialog in Hydro, the Brazilian and Norwegian colleagues discussed Pará-specific issues, including workers’ access to local housing, health and education, as well as the impact and significance of Hydro's recently signed Global Frame Agreement with unions.

“This was an important first step towards establishing the right framework for including our Brazilian colleagues in Hydro’s internal arenas for dialog, to ensure that the interests and views of all employees in Hydro are represented in the appropriate forums and decision-making processes,” said Martinsen.

“Through these initial meetings, we have created a solid foundation for further work together. The meetings have been interesting, positive and highly constructive,” said Fredagsvik.