In 2017,  Aluprogress a.s. had an average of  445  noncontingent workers. As at 31 December 2017, the Company recorded 433  employees, of  which 294  men and 139  women. The employee breakdown was 251 direct labor, 80 indirect labor and 102  administrative staff. The average age was 38.4, of which men 38.1 and women 39.8. At year-end, we had 3 employees under 20 years of age and 26 employees over 60. The staff turn- over rate was 15.8%. The sickness absence rate of noncontingent staff  was 8.7%. Average gross salary for the year under review  was  CZK 27,539.  In  addition  to  our  non-contingent workers, the  Company had on  average 18  temporary workers assigned by employment agencies. We have worked with ManpowerGroup since 2011 and in 2016 we executed an agree- ment with the Adecco employment agency to assist us with our staffing needs. Contingent workers supplied by agencies primarily fill in for non-contingent staff who are on long-term sickness leave.

Employee care

The Company  spent more than CZK 1,000 thousand on employee benefits, primarily work anniversary bonuses (CZK 169 thousand), season tickets for leisure activities (3 thousand), contributions to food allowances and preventive workplace medical care. A large por tion is represented by supplementary pension insurance contributions (CZK 877 thousand). Some CZK 2,600 thousand of the total amount constitutes the cost of sick days benefit provided to employees.

Training

We place great emphasis on staff training and education, which is primarily focused on specialized courses and seminars aimed at enhancing expertise and know-how. Employees were also offered language courses and in-house courses on quality management, workplace health and safety, fire safety and the environmental management system. A total  of more than CZK 688 thousand was spent on staff training, excluding internal training. The cost of  internal training is included in wages and salaries as it  is considered loss of wages at the time of training. Such trainings are performed by internal lecturers from senior executives.