Comunidad Aurífera Relave ( Aurelsa S.A)

Located in the Municipality of Relave, Pullo District, Parinacochas Province, Ayacucho Department, Peru

Composition of the organization:
The organization consists of 86 associates of whom 78 are men and 8 women. The associates are organised in working groups within the AURELSA mineral rights: group One, The Coronado Brothers, the Ataucusi group.  There are also groups of non-associates working on the mineral rights of the company.

Type of mine: Hard rock, underground mine with veins of 25 up to 40 cm.

Production: Monthly 180 metric tons are processed.  4.5 kg of fine gold is produced monthly.

Aurelsa Mine Entrance By : Foto Cristina Echavarría

Background
The company was founded on July 26, 1997 with the current 86 associates as shareholders.  They started up in 1985 as an Association of Southern Independent Miners (AMIRS) with the participation of 200 associates.  Currently they have mineral rights of 1.000 Has. with 7 mines. 

Umbrella organization, association or trade union the organization is affiliated to.
They are affiliated to the Regional Association of Artisan Mining Producers of Sur Medio (AMASUC)

Associates’ rights
The associated shareholders have equal rights and obligations which are established in the Company Statutes and in the general law on companies.  The associates and non-associates that work in the mineral rights of the Company all pay 10% of their production in mineral as perquisites. The rights and obligations of all parties are regulated in respective agreements.

Payment to workers
The 19 contracted workers receive a salary for their work according to the function that they carry out, indistinctly to gender.  They include a plant engineer and a mining engineer besides professionals hired as external advisors, who also receive a monthly salary.  The Board of directors receives a cash payment per meeting.  There is a group of associates that offer permanent services to the Company such as transportation of mineral, water, etc. that are also paid in cash. 

Organization of work
The company has personnel for mine and plant, for which the whole production is processed in the company processing plant.  Besides paying a perquisite for working in the concessions of the company, the groups are selling their production to AURELSA, for a better price and fair treatment. 

Families that depend directly or indirectly from the work of the organization
In the Municipality of Relave there are about 600 families, but there are other mining companies and processing plants for artisanal mining: Ballón, Milagros, Cominsa.

 Benefits the organization brings to the mining communities

1. Provide electricity from 6 to 10 o’clock in the evening at a subsidised rate
2. The company is continuously requested to support a series of demands, both from various institutions and from needed people from the community.

Mineral rights
AURELSA has the mineral rights to 7 concessions with a total area of 1000 ha.

Processing technology
Cyanidation is used in batch leaching

Taxation
The company has an accounting system and annual and monthly income tax return, according to the existing legislation.

Main needs

1. There is need to install an agitation plant.
2. We need a laboratory.
3. Stripping action plant.
4. Training in commercialization.

Commercialization
The working groups are free to sell their production anywhere, but because of advantages and a better price, weight, they sell their complete production output to AURELSA.

Refining of the metal
The processing plant of the company produces activated carbon which is sent to Lima for stripping action and refining.

Transport
Transport is on the account of the Company AURELSA.

Main challenges faced in order to comply with the minimum requirements for the Standard Zero.

Environmental
The municipality has not organised the mills and sieves of individual owners that are located in the middle of the population.  The Mayor has a plan for relocation in an industrial park, supported by the company, but this has not yet materialized.

Social
To improve participation of the associates in the company’s activities

Economic/Labour conditions
- Access to cedit
- Funds to finish the agitation plant
- Funds to increase production
- To get all the workers on the pay-roll

Commercialization
Training

What is special, different about us

We are a small official mining industry, with technology and work, with a view toward the 21st century, trough integral development and a better quality of life.  

Miners collecting milled material