Brazil to hire staff to strengthen mining regulator

Brazil will start hiring 80 professionals in July to strengthen mining regulator ANM. 

"In the ministry's view, expanding the technical staff and strengthening the agency's structure is essential to maintaining oversight and response capacity, ensuring the sustainable and socially responsible development of the mining sector," the mines and energy ministry (MME) said in a statement.

"In this context, the MME is coordinating the implementation of a structural plan that also includes enhancing careers at the national mining agency (ANM), including salary adjustments for staff and the restructuring of its job framework. In addition, the ministry supports measures to modernize the agency's regulations and digital systems," it added.

In recent years, ANM staff have held a series of strikes, protesting the low number of employees and lower salaries compared to the country's 10 other regulatory agencies. 

The employees warned that the agency's precarious structure hampers oversight of the mining sector and slows down regulatory procedures that are crucial for the advancement of projects.

Improvements to the regulator's structure have even been advocated by mining companies, which have urged the government to strengthen the agency. In response, the government recently authorized salary alignment for ANM staff with those of other regulatory agencies.

According to the employees' union, ANM workers were earning salaries 40% lower than the average paid to staff at other entities.