[Opinión] Jaime Polar Paredes: Between a rock and a hard place

By Jaime Polar Paredes, General Manager of Summa Gold Corporation

On August 22, the supreme decree came into force that restricts the contracting of outsourcing services. A measure that, as Indecopi also warned, creates illegal bureaucratic barriers that threaten the freedom of business and its productive dynamics.

But beyond the damage that this measure generates for the thousands of workers who are already losing their jobs, there is also the difficult position of employers and business managers, who have to face different circumstances imposed by this decree. Do we stop hiring the businesses that provide services for our companies? Do we dispense with the personnel of the contractor company, despite the fact that they already know our work dynamics? How do we explain to an entrepreneur that we can no longer count on his services? There are several questions that arise in this context.

According to the Vinatea & Toyama study, almost 5 out of 10 CEOs do not know what actions to take to adapt to this new scenario. And is not for less. Contractors, with their talent and work, have become essential allies for companies. Many of them have emerged from nowhere, and little by little they have been inserted into the commercial flow of large investments, generating quality employment for their environment. Even so, there is fear in them because they may lose their jobs, wasting the time and capital invested in their companies.

In the mining industry alone we are talking about 2,069 contracting companies registered in the Minem that generated 171,000 jobs, and that today are at risk of being lost. Many of these contractors are companies formed by the same communities and in areas of mining influence. What other development alternative are we offering them if their regular clients can no longer hire them?

At the national level, there are around 250,000 jobs that are at risk of disappearing due to the application of this rule, which constitutes a very serious social and economic impact for Peru; and even more so when what we need are proposals that stimulate formal and quality employment.

We call on the competent authorities and organizations to examine the implications of this rule, as well as the decree on collective bargaining, maintaining dialogue and respect with the private sector at all times to reach measures that are viable and sustainable over time.