Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is a global organization managing both a standard for large-scale mining and a system for independent verification of a mine’s performance against that standard.
IRMA’s Standard for Responsible Mining is the world’s first shared definition of what it means to mine responsibly and includes several sections focused on high-bar standards for the labour sector. Additionally, the audit process includes an in-depth on-site audit, during which the auditors speak extensively with workers (without the presence of management) to ascertain practices at the mine.
Six sectors govern IRMA: organized labour, mining companies, purchasing companies, civil society organizations, mining-affected communities and finance/investment. This balanced representation of all six sectors is achieved through a variety of mechanisms (Board of Directors, committees and working groups) in all significant deliberations and decision-making.
While IRMA can most certainly be described as a multi-stakeholder initiative, it is unique in the mining space due to its model of equal governing authority between the sectors. The Board has a balanced representation, with two seats for each sector. One representative from United Steelworkers and one from IndustriAll Global Union serve on IRMA’s board for the organized labour sector. Four company representatives (two from mining, two from purchasing) also sit on the Board.
For any decision which requires a vote, IRMA follows a model of consensus. In other words, any vote which results in a “no” response from both representatives of one sector cannot pass and must be taken back to the full group for further discussion and resolution. A decision cannot pass if one of the stakeholder groups is fundamentally opposed.