During LGBTQIA+ Pride Month , Vale reinforces its commitment to promoting an environment that respects the uniqueness of each person, regardless of sexual orientation or any other characteristics. We will continue to move forward to become an increasingly inclusive company, where everyone is proud to be who they are and feels secure and supported.
In celebration of this very important date, celebrated on the 28th, next week we will present every day the stories of some employees who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, representing some of the letters of the acronym, sharing with us their experiences inside and outside Vale. But, for a start, how about we learn more about the representativeness of the month of June for the community?
Pride Day
For over 50 years, the LGBTQIA+ Pride Day has been celebrated on June 28th. The date was chosen as a reference to the so-called 'Stonewall Inn Rebellion' in New York, when there was a series of invasions of establishments frequented by homosexuals. The attacks were the trigger for organizing a historic mobilization, which led to numerous protests in favor of community rights in several American cities.
Do you know what each letter of the acronym means
Coloring our locomotive
In search of a way to make his teammates at Vale in Maranhão, who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, feel represented, analyst Edmo Nascimento came up with an idea that brought more color to one of our locomotives, an important asset in the operation.
Edmo was responsible for initiating the plan to paint a locomotive on the Carajás Railroad (EFC), which connects Carajás, in southeastern Pará, to the Port of Ponta da Madeira, in São Luís, Maranhão, covering 892 kilometers. The idea came in June 2020, when a colleague saw a truck painted in the colors of the rainbow and was delighted with the initiative and had a partnership with the entire EFC Locomotive maintenance team so that this dream could become a reality.
From this episode on, the analyst conceived the project, sought the necessary internal approvals and got involved in the action, seeking to promote diversity in his workplace and also outside it. Edmo personally chose the colors of the paints that would be used, involved colleagues from Vale's maintenance area to carry out the painting and promoted a vote in the team to define the best design for the project.
In addition to witnessing the joy of company colleagues when they saw the painted locomotive, Edmo says that he had a dimension of the impact of his action on society about three weeks later. On a business trip to a city close to São Luís (MA), while waiting for the locomotive to arrive at the station, a girl of approximately 12 years old anxiously awaited the arrival of the 'colored locomotive' to carry out her tour and explained to her mother the meaning of colors, the importance of diversity and inclusion.
It was on this occasion that I realized that there is no way to measure how many will be impacted by our initiatives, how many are waiting for an action like this to feel part of a whole. And it's a wonderful feeling to see that people feel represented. I seek to somehow improve the lives of those around me and the result of this action was very gratifying
Edmo Nascimento.
What has Vale been doing to help?
To stimulate debate and the sharing of information and ideas, we have the LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group for employees interested in discussing the topic and proposing changes.
Furthermore, it is important to reinforce that we do not tolerate any kind of prejudice or discrimination. Therefore, in our global diversity and inclusion strategy, we consider Sexual and Gender Diversity as one of the priority dimensions for building a more inclusive and safer work environment. This commitment is also in line with our Global Human Rights Policy, our Code of Conduct and our Diversity and Inclusion Policy. In addition, we have a Whistleblower Channel, available to all employees and third parties, whose responsible area reports directly to the Board of Directors, which allows for impartial action and investigation of cases. Anyone can report acts of discrimination.
Vale SA