8. Social topics

Our employment policy

Our employment policy is characterized by keeping the employees, the long-term employment and the social sensitivity. We aim to be considered as a familial, reliable and calculable employer, and in addition we pay much attention to the disciplined behaviour respectively functioning. The company is organized under a collective contract which – compared to the Labour Code – provides much better conditions for the employees.

Stable work environment, moderated fluctuation

Although in the past years – in parallel with the uptake of construction industry and the market of construction materials – the fluctuation picked up here, too, but it is still not outstandingly high. The attrition is characterising mostly the generation of 25–35 years, mostly in the Vác area in the cement business, mostly in the physical and the product delivery areas, and in the concrete and aggregates segments in Budapest and Central Hungary.

Innovation first of all

In 2014 the Continuous Improvement Program (CIP) started at the HeidelbergCement Group and the Duna– Dráva Cement Kft. joined it in 2016. Mostly the blue collar employees participate in the program.
Within the program we ask our employees for the innovative ideas that are used during the actual decision making by the competent managers.

On-going development

The objective of the HeidelbergCement Group’s Continuous Improvement Program (CIP) aims that the employees give innovative ideas in order to improve their areas, in this way optimizing the processes and reducing the cost. The program concerns the entire production system such as the production process (clinker factory, grinding plant, laboratory, etc.) or the energy and the fuel consumption, but the employees may provide ideas even in the health- and safety-related areas, too. The program aims to establish a „Lean” production process. Step-by-step but steadily terminate the activities and tools that do not provide added value for our customers. We analyze the efficiency of our workforce, too. Several ideas were already used at both cement plants, even in case of the minor processes that concern the everyday life or an improvement that encompasses a longer period.

Plannable carrier at the DDC

Our HR policy is based on finding, obtaining and keeping the most efficient, motivated and professionally apt employees. This is enabled by the calculability, reliability, the operation within stable legal conditions and the benefits and salaries above average. The financial safety, the working possibility in the long term, the health-related screening schemes, the wide packages of benefits and the strict work protection mean the pillars for the employees.
Finding the new recruits takes place through the internship programs in every area. It is possible to gain professional experience through affiliated companies, then the on-going career and the higher positions have their turn. Through the local and the owners’ internship schemes our colleagues can participate in foreign projects, and by providing the further training courses we are integrating the newcomers as fast as possible and most efficiently. With the programs for the youth our company group provides a good basis to prepare and build the successful career. We are offering professional practice and student’s work, and our internship program is good for the beginners to enlarge and try their knowledge gained in the educational system.
It is important for us to make the employees consider the DDC as a family-friendly workplace, we assure this through the flexible work, the employment after giving birth and the part time working available for men and women. Every year there is a family day and the new moms receive support for nursery use.
Through Namibia to the JET program
Mr. Tibor Waller is a third-generation cement-industrial worker at the DDC who got to Namibia in connection with his professional practice performed here, then he joined the JET (Junior Engineer Trainee program), too. The young electricity engineer spent 3 years at the plant in Beremend then he trained the new workers in the mother company’s plant in Namibia. Due to his successes gotten there he was elected for the international JET trainee program aiming to boost the possibility of gaining experience at international level. Returning to Hungary Tibor was asked to fill the position of electricity master at the Cement plant in Vác. He assumed a significant role in the modernization of the plant in Vác and he also sees his future at the same place.

Development, being up-to-date through learning

At the DDC the employees have the possibility at the internal training courses to improve and update their knowledge respectively to improve their managerial skills. Its elements: the e-campus, the internal training courses, the professional exchange of experience, the efficiency-increasing professional and managerial training courses.

By providing the on-going development possibility, the up-to-date condition we prepare an annual training plan according to the individual needs and competencies. We give feed back about the personal development and  performance during the annual evaluation talks respectively for the mid- and top level managers through the Management by Objectives (MbO) system. This is when it is possible to discuss the futu re expectations and plans, too. Currently we pay high attention to improve our inner performance evaluation system – with special regard to the enlarging of the concrete business.

In order to provide the experts and the new recruits we estab lished intensive connections with universities, colleges and professional training centres. We are looking for the coo peration possibilities with the 7th and 8th grade pupils of the elementary schools and the form-masters of the grammar schools and for long years we have been operating our „DDC for the talents” scholarship prog ram. In addition on the open days we are present with HR corners, we provide internship programs during summer at mid- and high levels educational level and we also offer topics for the doctorate.

„The summer work helped with my studies since I could use in practice the material learned at the university. I think I developed a lot in regards ofprofessional knowledge and the approach to work as well as with the personality traits.”

Fanni
trainee at the HR department

„My parents have worked here since the beginning of the factory. This is where I trained as a mechanic and since 1993 I have been working here. I feel good, my colleagues and my supervisors are also good.”

Tamás Porubsz material analyser
employee of DDC since 1993

Equality of chances in the everyday life

Our chance-equality principles are determined by the principles defined by the HeidelbergCement Group. In this way we apply the owner’s policies for the guideline issued by the international organisations. Among the chance-equality criteria it is very important to pay attention to the equality between men and women, the equal salaries, the employment of the people with impaired working abilities and the acceptance of minorities within the company. This is possible as much as the company group’s activity and the related working features, safety-technical provisions permit it. Because of the industrial characteristics few women work in top positions, they are much under-represented compared to men. The average age of the top executives is above 55 years – meaning that the number of colleagues close to pension is increasing –, in this way we pay special attention to the issue of the new recruits.

„At the Duna-Dráva Cement Kft. I can work in a peopleoriented environment, based on clearly defined expectations.”

Szilvia Szabó
credit management officer, employee of DDC since 2007

Importance of work protection

As in the European Union, in Hungary and at our company, too, we pay high attention to work protection. Hungary is obliged by law to define the tasks of work protection on the long run and – agreeing with the employees and the employers – establish its national policy related to the protection of working ability, work safety and the working environment.
The work protection policy contributes to the development of work protection, the preserving of the working ability of the employees, the sustenance of health and safety and the increasing of the number of years spent healthy. We can’t disregard the recognition of the risks deriving from the traditional (classical) dangers as well as the new ones and their efficient handling. The scientific-technical development, the social changes connected to globalisation can worsen the existing risks and may lead to new ones. The objective is to reduce the risks that endanger the health and safety of the employees since the loss of employment, the medical treatment and rehabilitation cost much more than the investment into the development of work protection.
Prevention is the only possibility with which the work accidents or the work-related damages can be avoided.

Work protection policies, strategies and programs

The regulatory system of work-protection is complex and variable, and there are international provisions, too related to the Duna–Dráva Cement Kft. as a company operating within the European Union. The LXXV act of year 2000, the European Union’s strategy of 2014-2020 related to workplace security and health protection, the WHO’s Global acting plan for the health of employees (2008–2017) and with the Hungarian XCIII act of 1993 dealing with work protection our company coordinates the work protection at the highest policy level, in the 25th *VIGUT Work protection policy. In addition the factory addendum of the Work protection policy, the Personal use of protective equipment also contains work protection provisions. Since we operate Integrated management systems in our areas where the MEBIR is also a part, thus there are work-protection-related regulators in this system, too.

Work protection training premises and training activity

The plants used to provide the training courses related to safety-technique, such as work protection, fire protection, environment protection, first-aid, etc. in specific ways and with specific tools. The courses were usually theoretical, without practical presentation or actual practice, in this way their efficiency could not be checked easily. The training centre now established in our cement plants changed this situation where there is an equipped training room for the theoretical courses respectively there are premises with the various safety-technical tools, equipped for the practical presentations and simulations. The object enables us to provide consistent training within varying conditions for the employees. The new room can be used for practical and theoretical training, too, and it also serves for the technical and technological courses, in this way supporting the Company’s work protection strategy.

Work Safety Week – learning by playing

Initiated by the HeidelbergCement Group we have been organising the so-called Work Safety Week since 2011 at the Duna–Dráva Cement Kft. The programs are important elements for establishing the safety culture. In such cases– by taking out the employees from the usual routine work - they can obtain experience about work-protection and the related areas from other perspectives. External lecturers, experts, specialists, doctors are providing lectures respectively the workers can participate in situational exercises to acquire competences that can be used later during their everyday work.
In the past 7 years the plant teams could participate in games, such as work-protection related races, wall-climbing, office training, or lectures on healthy living or stress management. The invited experts presented the use of protective equipment, gave lectures on fall protection and the rescuing form height similarly to first-aid or the correct use of the defibrillator.
Our employees could participate at fork-lift truck dexterity games, car-driving courses and in escape room games that are related to work protection.

One day at the homestead

Within the annual work-protection program it is already a tradition to organize the company’s family day. In 2019 the event for several hundred participants was hosted again by the Új Tanyacsárda in Lajosmizse. There were several exciting programs – horse show, various dexterity and sport games, air-castle and facepainting entertained the employees and their families.

Even the Hill run was loud

In 2019 the racers could participate the 5th time at the run of the Villány wine area, the Hill run of Palkonya. The hilly area and the weather hardened the race but almost 30 participants were open to the challenge, and many of them achieved nice results. The DDC has been sponsoring the event for 4 years. Besides the run in Palkonya our company’s employees proved their efficiency at races in Vác, too, and they were succeeding at the Rolling Fields event and the 10-km walking tour of the Tenkes Picnic.

1. Growth

It is important for us to reach our financial goals and assure the smooth supply. We achieve this through the selection of the proper suppliers and their optimal handling, in this way helping one of our most important goals: the increasing of competitiveness. When purchasing the products and services we aim to maintain the cost-efficiency in such a way that we pay high attention to the quality- and environment-related issues, too. Our suppliers have to prove through their activity that they make steps to improve their procedures and cost efficiency.

2. Environment protection

When procuring the products, technology or services we pay high attention to minimise the incurring waste, and reuse it if possible. Regarding the procurement of the raw materials required for cement production it is required to favorise the products that are waste or by-products of other producing activities. If it is possible, we are choosing goods with minimum or no packaging material.
We also try to choose close supplying sources, and if there is no such supplier, then we are using the transportation that means least burden for the environment (water, railway), all this to reduce the emission of polluting materials.
Our general conditions require us to procure the materials form a company that has an accepted environment protection standard (ISO 14000).

3. Social responsibility

The corporate behavioural policy of the mother company, the HeidelbergCement Group is the basis of our business activities and the procuring area, the CEO instructions and the ethical codex are also based on this. We mean that every employee participating in the purchasing processes has to sustain his independence toward the suppliers.
We are committed to safe working environment in the everyday life, therefore we keep analysing the working security system of our suppliers and the compliance with it.
Even in a complex supply chain where our company is operating, there are people working, and we should not forget about this. We respect human rights. Not only at our company but at each subsidiary where we are present as owners, we comply with the law and decrees in force. As an internationally active company we are committed toward the global values and norms. We expect our employees and business partners to comply with these principles and recommendations.