Omera currently has 156 direct employees and 297 contractor employees in four sites and headquarters. Contractor employees are mainly involved in loading/unloading operations at four sites. For the construction of this project, construction workers will be hired, and it is expected that most of the construction workers will come from the local communities, hence no labor camp will be provided. After the expansion project, the company expects to hire approximately 20 employees.
Human Resources Policies and Procedures
Omera has a corporate HR policy that specifies the terms of employment and working conditions. These include procedures related to recruitment, probation, training, performance review, promotion, insurance, salary and compensation, resignation, lay-off and dismissal, vacation, other leave, and retirement. The company conducts training about HR policy as part of the new employee induction, and all employees have access to this policy. The HR issues are managed by the corporate HR department.
Working Conditions and Term of Employment
Omera treats direct and contracted workers in the same way, except for the tenure of employment. Omera offers competitive salaries and benefits among similar industries in Bangladesh. All Omera employees have access to medical and social security insurance as required by labor law. The insurance of contractor workers is covered by their employer according to their employment term.
Overtime work is uncommon and is usually only associated with emergencies. Staff receive double compensation in lieu of any overtime work at rates regulated by the national labor authority.
For construction workers or other temporary service contractors who may work at Omera sites, Omera requires the contractors to fully comply with national labor laws and the company’s HR team members conduct periodic inspections.
Workers’ Organization
While the company does not restrict the workers’ freedom of association, currently, there is no officially recognized workers’ union in Omera. However, there are worker’s representatives elected by workers to represent all employees for collective bargaining.
Non-discrimination and Equal Opportunity
The HR policy articulates the company’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity. No procedures and/or practices have been identified as discriminatory. All the hiring and promotions are merit-based.
However, currently, besides headquarters office, there are no female employees at any site due to the local culture and prevailing practices in this sector. As part of this project, Omera will conduct outreach to local communities and promote female employment at its operation sites. When candidates have equal qualifications, preferences of hiring will be given to females. The company will articulate this commitment in its HR manual and policies.
Grievance Mechanism
Grievance mechanism is introduced during the induction for each new employee and for contractors. Both direct and contractor workers can report their grievances to HR manager, site manager, or directly to the CEO. HR manager has quarterly townhall meetings with employees at each site. Corporate managers also visit sites routinely to listen to any grievances the employees may have. All the grievances and the mitigations are recorded. The HR or site manager are required to report to the senior management if they could not solve the grievance. HR department’s email address and suggestion box are available for anonymously raising the grievances with the management.
Protecting the Work Force
Omera complies with national law and does not hire workers below the age of 18 years. HR checks birth and school certificates during the hiring process. No child or forced labor was evident at Omera. LPG, the only raw material in Omera, is purchased from major international oil/gas companies. It is unlikely to have child/forced labors in this supply chain
Occupational Health and Safety
Omera has developed OHS manual comprising policies and procedures to manage OHS risks from its operations as well as transportation activities. Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) is conducted for each position and OHS procedures are prepared per JHA results for each position to prevent accidents. Moreover, as described earlier, Omera is in the process of implementing a formal OHS management systems to be certified compliant with OSHAS18000 international standards.
Omera has routine OHS training, including new employee/contracted worker training, bimonthly safety training, and specialized safety trainings each year. All staff members, including operators, LPG tanker drivers, and onsite contractor workers for loading/unloading, have daily safety briefing before each shift. EHS engineers organize bimonthly safety training for all staff members and 12 specialized safety trainings based on specific job requirements every year.
There have been no fatal or serious accidents in the Omera’s operational history. Since arsenic content is naturally high in local surface and groundwater, Omera provides clean bottled drinking water at headquarters and at every site to ensure health and wellbeing of its employees.
