English 
Spanish 
5 min read 
7 comments 
Mining company Vale surprises by laying off employees even after record exports and a billion-dollar investment. While machines arrive, workers are laid off.
In a move that surprised the market, the mining company Vale recently announced the dismissal of more than 157 employees from the Salobo Project, in Parauapebas (PA). The information is from the portal parauapebas.
This decision came just weeks after the company revealed one of the largest investments in its history: the New Carajás Program, with a forecast of R$ 70 billion in investments by 2030.
The program, which aims to boost the Carajás region, focuses on increasing production and modernizing mining.
- VIVO announces home office vacancy with competitive salary for Tech Lead (Information Security)
- Grupo Petrópolis announces new job openings in several regions of Brazil: find out how to apply
- Constellation Oil Services has job openings in Rio de Janeiro with several offshore and onshore opportunities
- China to invest R$100 billion in Brazil to build mega railroad! Railroad with more than 4 thousand kilometers could connect country to neighboring country and facilitate trade with Asians
However, despite the export records and historical profit sharing bonus (PLR), the staff cuts at the Salobo project raise questions about the real impact of these changes on the people who contributed to the company's growth.
Million-dollar investment and staff cuts: a controversial combination
Vale, which continues to perform well in its operations and in the global market, has been experiencing a phase of expansion and modernization.
The company, which has been showing constant growth for years, has reached export records, surpassing annual targets and achieving one of the largest PLR indexes of its history.
This, in itself, would be a reason to celebrate, especially considering the current global scenario for mining and the Brazilian economy.
However, the scenario seems to contrast with the decision to lay off more than 150 workers, many of them with more than 15 years of dedication to the company.
The Salobo Project, considered one of the pillars of Vale's operations in Parauapebas, is at the center of this controversy.
Despite the large export figures and good financial performance, the company chose to cut a significant portion of its workforce.
What's behind the changes: the Novo Carajás Program and technological innovation
The New Carajás Program, with an investment of R$ 70 billion between 2025 and 2030, promises to transform Vale's operations in the Carajás region, focusing mainly on the Salobo Project.
60% of this amount, around R$42 billion, will be allocated to Salobo, to modernize production and implement innovative technologies that aim to increase efficiency and reduce operating costs.
However, technological changes are not exempt from impacts for workers.
While Vale invests in cutting-edge equipment and innovative solutions, the unemployment directly affects those who, for years, helped build the basis of the operation.
The modernization of the production process, with the replacement of labor by machines and automation, can bring operational gains, but it also generates a direct reflection on people's lives who lost their jobs.
This scenario raises the question of to what extent the search for efficiency and innovation cannot be accompanied by a greater care for workers who contributed to the company's success.
Vale, in seeking to become a reference in energy transition and efficiency, you may need to rethink people management models in your large operations.
Vale and its future: the search for agility and decentralization
The company justified the layoffs as part of a broader effort to make its business more agile, decentralized and competitive.
According to an official statement from the company, the changes involve all areas, from operational functions to administrative and corporate functions.
Vale also reinforced its commitment to operations in Brazil and the transformation of Vale Metais Básicos into a global leader in production of metals for the energy transition.
According to the mining company, the changes aim to adapt the company to the new demands of the global market, which demands greater agility and capacity for innovation.
The transition to more modern technologies, in addition to ensuring competitiveness in the international market, promises to position Vale as one of the main players in production of metals used in renewable energy and electric mobility industry.
The Human Impact of Change: Balancing Technology and Employment
Although technological advancement is necessary for the success of any large corporation in the 21st century, Vale finds itself facing a dilemma.
How to reconcile the the digital and sustainable transformation and tecnologic innovation to Olos technology job preservation and the recognition of workers who contributed to the company's growth?
This is a crucial question, especially considering that, in many cases, these employees have a deep connection with the project and the region.
O human impact of layoffs cannot be underestimated.
Even with modernization and million-dollar investments, the loss of long term jobs generates insecurity and social tension in the communities where Vale operates.
It is important that as the company implements changes, it also takes care to offer new job opportunities or retraining for affected employees.
An uncertain future: Vale and the challenges of reinventing itself
Vale's future depends not only on the modernization of its operations, but also on its ability to balance innovation with social responsibility and respect for workers.
Although the company has a bold and financial plan for the Carajás region, it will require more than just investments in machines and equipment to ensure that success is sustainable in the long term.
The transformation that the mining company is undergoing is not limited to technology, but also requires a deeper reflection on your organizational processes, relationships with their employees and the impact these changes can have on people's lives.
Unfortunately, it is easy for them to fire you, but they know that you have families behind you and they ignore it because it is not their family. I went through this and I was on vacation and took a public exam. I will not generalize, but where there is a military man as president of a company, only God can do it. I do not know if this is the case. We spent our lives for over 20 years, in the company, struggling and blaming the DEST, which was to blame for the lack of a raise, just a revolting government adjustment.
Vale's tactic is simple on all its websites because an employee with 15 years of experience has an average salary range of 3.5 to 9 thousand depending on the role. They fire these employees and hire others with salaries of 2100 to 5 thousand.
Privatization only aims at Capitalism and the development of a few.
Communism only brings delays. If someone doesn't want to be fired, they have to become an essential professional for the company they work for. No one can expect to stay in a job out of pity... That's unfair and unproductive.
There is no such thing as an essential professional.
You can be the “crush’s best friend”, be productive, meet targets, etc., but when push comes to shove, you’ll be fired anyway. All you have to do is become “too expensive” for the “market” standards. Companies don’t have hearts, they have CNPJs.