Brazil recognizes need to reinforce mining regulator

The Brazilian government is working to strengthen mining regulator ANM following a series of strikes. 

The geology and mining secretary at the mines and energy ministry (MME), Vitor Saback, and the labor secretary at the ministry of management and innovation in public services (MGI), José Lopez Feijóo, held a meeting with ANM head Mauro Sousa and members of the labor union to discuss measures to reinforce the regulator.

During the meeting, the federal government representatives said the government needs more time to arrange cash to reinforce ANM’s structure as it looks toward the 2024 budget. 

“We reported that the government is aware of the demands and that it will work to ensure that these are met as soon as possible," Feijóo said in a statement.

ANM employees have staged a series of strikes in recent months demanding, among other things, an increase in the number of employees and a hike in salaries.

Currently, ANM has 664 employees but needs to increase that to 2,121, according to workers' representatives. In addition, salaries of ANM workers are 30-40% below those at the country’s other 11 regulatory agencies.

ANM was created in 2017 to replace the mining department, which did not have regulatory powers. The key functions performed by the watchdog include inspection of tailings dams and collection of the CFEM tax.