24/05/2016
In the months of March and April, Samarco’s socio-institutional actions team promoted dialogue meetings with the residents of the states of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais to clarify doubts concerning the access to the financial assistance card. More than 2,500 people attended the meetings and were informed about the process of creation, registration and rules to be eligible to have access to the card.
At the end of each meeting, individual assistance was carried out by a Samarco team, together with the professionals from the company Golder/Praxis, to monitor the situation of the people who ordered the card. Those who were not eligible to receive financial aid may be considered in other assistance programs stipulated in the Agreement signed with the Federal Government, the State Governments of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo and other government entities. New meetings, in the same format, are scheduled to be held in other communities.
The financial aid is part of the Conduct Adjustment Term (TAC) agreed upon between the company and the Ministry of Labor of both states. It is intended for families who had their income affected by the dam collapse. To date, 6,173 cards have been delivered. Through them, are transferred, on a monthly and temporary basis, a minimum wage for each person in the household who has experienced work activity income loss as a direct result of the dam burst. Furthermore, an additional 20% of the minimum wage for each dependent is offered and also the value of a basic foods hamper, based on the Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo Dieese index.
