24 works selected from the art competition for children’s drawings for 2023
Due to the large number of artworks that were submitted to the competition for children’s drawings related to the operation of the mine and its importance for the family and the community, Sasa Mine decided to double the number of drawings that will be used as New Year’s illustrations. Out of a total of 138 art works that were submitted in this year’s art competition, instead of 12, as previously planned, 24 drawings were selected to be used as illustrations for Sasa’s calendars for 2024. As last year, the other drawings received in the competition will decorate the New Year greetings that will be sent to Sasa Mine’s employees, associates and partners. The artworks selection committee, commented that all the drawings that arrived at this year’s art competition are truly exquisite and beautifully portray the way children experience Sasa mine and the impact of its operation on their families and the community. We sincerely thank all the children who participated in the competition and encourage them to continue developing their talent. This is a second consecutive year that Sasa Mine has run a competition for artworks by children between the ages of 5 and 15 who live in Makedonska Kamenica municipality, as well as Sasa employees’ children. Its main goal is to encourage creativity and talent development among children from the local community.
Open call for participation to children art competition 2023
This year too, the SASA Mine is announcing a public art competition for children’s drawings with motifs related to the operation of the mine and its significance for people, families and the local community. All children from 5 to 15 years of age who live in the municipality of Makedonska Kamenica, as well as the children of SASA employees who are of that age, are eligible for the competition. Artworks should be submitted no later than November 27, 2023 to the Office for Communication with the Community of SASA Mine (St. Rudarska no. 28, Makedonska Kamenica). SASA employees may submit their children’s work to the Personnel Office. The following information should be written on the back of the drawing: name and surname of the child; name and surname of the parent/guardian; date of birth of the child; residential address and contact telephone number. By submitting their artwork, the child and their parent/guardian automatically give permission for it to be used by SASA. By the end of November, a committee will select the top 12 works of art that committee members believe best represent the SASA mine and its contribution to people and the community. Each winner will be awarded with 3,000 denars. These drawings will be used to create a calendar for the year 2024 that will be intended for the employees and associates of SASA Mine, as well as for other appropriate occasions.
The new Training Center for SASA employees was opened
Following its strategy of continuous investments in the development of human capital and continuous improvement of the knowledge and skills of employees, SASA Mine opened a new Center for training its employees. The new center is located in the same building with the Office for Communication with the Local Community at 28 “Rudarska” Street in Makedonska Kamenica. The fact that the Center is located in the city, instead of in the mining complex, will allow the employees to get away from their daily work responsibilities and fully concentrate on the topics that will be presented in the framework of the trainings. Modern equipment has been installed in this Center, which makes it possible to carry out different types of lectures and presentations in several languages, by experts from different fields from our country and from abroad. In this way, SASA employees get the opportunity to expand their existing and acquire new knowledge in several areas. In addition to this new Center for employee, which is designed for soft skills development, SASA also has a Training Center in which, according to a certified program, practical professional training is carried out for students and other persons who are not employed by SASA and wish to improve their practical skills in areas which are related to technological processes in SASA.
Donation of books from SASA for the library in Makedonska Kamenica
In honour of the annual celebration of Miners’ Day and the holiday celebrating the town of Makedonska Kamenica, SASA Mine donated over 200 books to the “Krste Petkov Misirkov” library. With this donation, SASA continues to contribute to the further development of the public library. This library offers over 14,000 books for readers of all ages, in the town and surrounding area. The new books donated by SASA were officially handed over on August 15, 2022 by representatives of the SASA management team and the Mayor of Makedonska Kamenica, Dimcho Atanasovski. The library had requested additional educational books and novels for both adults and children. Prior to this event, SASA managers and Mayor Atanasovski discussed the cooperation between the SASA mine and the local government, as well as the opportunities and future projects that will result from this donation. This contribution will enhance the prosperity of the local community. “We are delighted to have the opportunity, in celebration of Miners Day, to meet the Mayor of Makedonska Kamenica and to discuss SASA’s investments in sustainable development. Our cooperation and the realisation of projects are significant for the local community. This was also a good opportunity to hand over the latest donation from SASA to the library. This is another indicator of the strength of the synergy that exists between SASA and the community of Makedonska Kamenica. We as a company will continue to invest in projects in the local community,” SASA General Director Scott Yelland stated.
70 English oak trees planted in honor of the Platinum Jubilee of the British Monarch
Continuing its ongoing activities for the protection of the environment and sustainable development, in honor of the Platinum Jubilee of The Queen Elizabeth II, which marks the 70 years as the British Monarch, SASA Mine donated 70 English Oak trees as a gift to the community. The trees are planted in two locations which were selected by the municipality of Makedonska Kamenica as the most suitable. At the first location, seven English oak trees have been planted near the park “Mladost” and the remaining 63 have been planted in the monastery-tourist complex Elenec in the village Cera. Besides SASA Sustainability Director Ivica Talevski and Gavin Ferrar, Chief Financial Officer of CAML, the British Ambassador H.E. Rachel Galloway and the Mayor of Makedonska Kamenica Dimcho Atanasovski took part in the planting of the new trees that will decorate the central area of Makedonska Kamenica.
New SASA afforestation campaign: 5000 seedlings planted near the mine
Makedonska Kamenica, 07.04.2022 – This year as well, the SASA Mine continues with the realization of the long-term afforestation project. In the latest action carried out on April 5th and 6th, 5.000 new seedlings of indigenous trees were planted on an area of two hectares in the vicinity of the mine. This action was realized in cooperation with PE National Forests and PE Kamena Reka from Makedonska Kamenica. “The program for planned afforestation is one of the long-term projects for environmental protection that we at SASA are happy to implement and invest in. With such activities, in addition to reclamation of the former tailings, afforestation of the surrounding areas as well as renewal and enrichment of the existing forest fund has been performed. This afforestation campaign contributes to landscaping and protection of the land from erosion and reduces the risks of landslides that are common in these areas. At the same time, the further increase of the forest fund contributes to maintaining the high air quality that is one of characteristics of this area, as well as to mitigating the consequences of climate change which is of great importance for the sustainable development of the community that is our long-term goal”, said Ivica Talevski, SASA Sustainability Director. The engagement and investments of SASA in this domain will continue in the future through the realization of its own actions for afforestation, as well as by participating in joint projects with institutions and organizations from the local community.
Five additional scholarships awarded to students of mining, geology and hydraulic engineering
SASA Mine, through its Foundation for Support of Sustainable Development, provided scholarships for an additional five students. Of these, two scholarships are awarded to students of mining and one for a student in the field of geology at the Faculty of Natural and Technical Sciences within the University Goce Delchev in Shtip. Two scholarships have been awarded to students of hydraulic engineering at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University St. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje. “We congratulate the new scholarship holders and wish them success during their studies. We hope that this support provided by SASA will help these young people gain the necessary knowledge and high academic achievement in their chosen fields, which will help them develop their professional careers in the future. We are keen to promote diversity in the mining industry so are delighted that four of the five scholarship holders are women,” said Nick Shirley, Director of Sustainability at Central Asia Metals, at the handover of the scholarship agreements that took place today (March 29, 2022) at SASA. In addition to the new five scholarships, SASA currently provides continuous financial support for six students in the fields of mining and environmental protection at the University of Stip.
Atanasovski: New capital investments in SASA are important for local economic development
Makedonska Kamenica, 04.03.2022 – SASA Mine continues to implement the new capital investment program worth over 20 million dollars. The Mayor of Makedonska Kamenica Dimcho Atanasovski had the opportunity to get acquainted with the current progress, during his first visit to SASA, which was agreed at the meeting with the representatives of the management team of the mine, which took place immediately after assuming office. “I am pleased to have had the opportunity to visit SASA and get directly acquainted with the implementation of new capital investment projects that should enable further sustainable development of the mine. On this occasion, I would like to emphasize that SASA, as the largest economic capacity in our municipality and beyond, is of great importance for the local economic development and provides social security for many families, which is especially important in such turbulent current times. That is why I support such responsible companies to receive the full support for the implementation of their development plans that bring benefits to all, both locally and nationally for the long term,” said the mayor of Makedonska Kamenica, Dimcho Atanasovski. During the visit, Mayor Atanasovski was presented with the current investments in SASA in all mine operations, which in the past four years since the entry of investors – the company Central Asia Metals from London – exceeded 30 million dollars. The bulk of these funds is invested in the procurement of new modern mining equipment and production technology, in the digitalization of certain work processes, in the occupational safety and protection system, as well as in further improving the standards and conditions for work and professional development and employee well-being. On this occasion too, Mayor Atanasovski got acquainted with the effects of the large number of socially responsible activities and projects aimed at supporting the community, which SASA is implementing continuously, and in the implementation of which over 400 thousand dollars were invested last year alone. “We were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Makedonska Kamenica to the SASA mine for his visit. We are acutely aware of the symbiotic relationship between the mine and the local community and it is essential that we maintain and further build upon the strong relationships we have in Makedonska Kamenica and at a national level. Through such visits and direct communication, we have the opportunity to present our development projects to the institutions, as well as our community support programmes, which paves the way for their faster and more efficient implementation, which is good for everyone – both for the company and its employees and for the local community and for the whole country, because the success of SASA means success for all,” says the General Director of SASA Scott Yelland.
UK Trade Envoy for the Western Balkans Martin Vickers visited SASA
The Special Trade Envoy of the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the Western Balkans, Mr. Martin Vickers, visited the lead and zinc mine SASA, where, among other things, he had the opportunity to get acquainted with the new investment and development projects in SASA, as well as with the continuous investments of the mine in the implementation of many socially responsible activities and projects aimed at supporting the local community. “For SASA, as part of Central Asia Metals, headquartered in London and listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, this visit of a senior representative of the British Government is very significant. We are fortunate to be supported widely, which should result in easier and faster implementation of our capital investments in further modernization of the mine and extension of its working life, which will certainly bring benefits to all stakeholders, including investors, SASA employees, as well as the people of the local community and the country as a whole,” said SASA Sustainability Director Ivica Talevski. During the visit, the SASA team explained to the senior British official the significant capital investment project that is currently underway. Approximately $25 million will be invested at SASA this year, which will ensure the mine uses more efficient mining technologies in the future that will optimize production and ore extraction in an even safer and more environmentally friendly way. In addition, he was informed about SASA’s Foundation for Support of Sustainable Development, which invests in the order of $300,000 in local community support each year, particularly in areas such as education, science, environment, health, sports and support of vulnerable social groups.
СО ДОПОЛНИТЕЛНИ БЕЗБЕДНОСНИ МЕРКИ ПРОДОЛЖУВАМЕ СО РАБОТА, А ВРАБОТЕНИТЕ ДОБИЈА ТРИМЕСЕЧЕН БОНУС
И покрај сите предизвици предизвикани од Ковид-19 пандемијата, рудникот САСА продолжи со производство и продажба на метален концентрат, при што ги исполни планираните производни цели за првиот квартал од оваа година. Како резултат на тоа, раководниот тим на САСА одлучи на сите вработени, покрај редовните плати, да им исплати и премија (бонус) за нивниот придонес во исполнување на планираните производствени параметри. При тоа најголеми премии добија рударите, техничкиот кадар и персоналот што работи на одржување на опремата во рудничките јами. Од почетокот на 2020-та платите на вработените во Рудник САСА се зголемени во просек за дополнителни пет проценти. Toa беше четврто по ред зголемување на платите во последните три години откако компанијата Централ Азија Металс, со седиште во Лондон, го презеде рудникот. „Заштитата на благостојбата на сите наши вработени и добавувачи во овие предизвикувачки времиња претставува наш највисок приоритет. Кај ниту еден вработен во Рудник САСА не е дијагностициран Ковид-19. Преземавме значајни чекори со кои сакаме да обезбедиме континуирано добро здравје на членовите на нашиот тим“, вели генералниот директор на Рудник САСА, Олег Телној. Конкретно, како превенција од ширењето на Ковид-19 Рудник САСА обезбеди лична заштитна опрема за вработените и членовите на локалната заедница; воведе засилени хигиенски практики согласно упатствата од здравствените институции и препораките на Владата; направи детална ревизија на сите работни операции, вклучително и во рудничката кантина и при транспортот на вработените за да се обезбеди неопходната социјална дистанца; го ограничи пристапот на надворешни посетители во рудникот; воведе работа од дома за дел од вработените за кои тоа е возможно, како и систем за идентификација и засилен мониторинг на здравствената состојба на членовите на тимот кои припаѓаат во најранливата категорија од Ковид-19. „Преземените мерки во овие тешки околности нѝ овозможија да продолжиме со нашите работни активности, да ја одржиме финансиската стабилност на нашите вработени и бизнисот, да ѝ помагаме на заедницата и да продолжиме со извршување на обврските кон државата и нашите деловни партнери и соработници. Сѐ додека е безбедно, ние планираме да продолжиме да работиме“, потенцираше генералниот директор на Рудник САСА, Олег Телној, искажувајќи голема благодарност до сите вработени и добавувачи за нивната напорна работа и поддршката во овие предизвикувачки околности. Покрај напорите за одржување на здравјето и безбедноста во рудникот и помошта на локалната заедница, менаџерскиот тим на Рудник САСА е во редовна комуникација со надлежните институции на локално и државно ниво, со цел да обезбеди финансиска помош каде што е соодветно, за да ѝ помогне на земјата во борбата против пандемијата на Ковид-19.
