Neita

Notwithstanding the recession that reversed world fortunes in 2009, the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Jamaica appears to have kept its head up despite the downsizing and cost-cutting that has affected business activities in every sector of the economy.

While direct financial contributions and donations have been significantly reduced, we still continue to see evidence of social spending and corporate concern.

CSR can be defined as the continuing commitment by business to behave fairly and responsibly and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of employees, local communities and the society at large.

The concept behind this is that business and society need each other on a mutually supportive basis, and perhaps explains the endurance of CSR in a time of economic upheaval.

Variety of programmes

Jamaican businesses have for many years been involved in a wide variety of programmes conducted for the benefit of the elderly and disabled, early childhood education, inner city and disadvantaged areas, scholarship programmes, charitable projects, sports and youth development, and quality-of-life upgrade, to name just a few.

The bauxite industry was among the first to practice CSR and company public relations on a large scale in Jamaica. History records a long list of corporate contributions made by pioneer companies Alcan, Reynolds and Kaiser Bauxite when they first came to Jamaica in the 1950s. The companies went on to become integrally involved in education, health, sports, youth and community development on a national and local community basis.

However among the most outstanding examples of CSR in practice today must be the maintenance of community-outreach programmes being carried on by Alpart since the cessation of operations in May of this year.

The company points out that the programme is aimed at helping to relieve the fallout in economic and social activities expected from reduced employment and business.

There is an added dimension to CSR with this programme as, over the years, Alpart and its community council has been pro-active in seeking ways to generate business and income to stimulate sustainable growth in its operating areas of St Elizabeth and Manchester.

In keeping with this objective, the Council established a business unit in 2008, perhaps the first such community organisation in the bauxite industry committed to establishing an independent and sustainable community development foundation.

Alpart

Since July of this year Alpart has awarded contracts for descaling, landscaping and janitorial projects to this unit, guaran-teeing employment for local residents and providing fun-ding for council projects around the Nain plant.

Other extensions of this corporate programme include the continued provi-sion of 300,000 gallons of water per day, a move which earned the commen-dation of Prime Minister Bruce Golding at his town hall meeting in Junction on August 12.

CSR sometimes only pops up at budget time or at business conferences, lending itself to charges of insincerity or inconsistency, but in this case where a company that is closed continues to carry out social programmes at this extraordinary level, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Events over the years in the local bauxite industry have proven that establishing sustainable rela-tionships with host communities is common sense and best practice.

Managing Director Tim O'Driscoll has pointed out that the sustainability of this particular relationship is based on the partnership that now exists between the company and its community councils.

Looking down the road, a supportive community will obviously be important to the achievement of a successful reopening of Alpart.

Lance Neita is a freelance writer with more than thirty years expe-rience in community relations inside the bauxite industry. He is the author of a book 'In Partnership With Jamaica', an account of Kaiser's 50-year partnership with Jamaica.