9 July 2019
This global framework agreement, which was signed on 09 July by the French automaker Renault Group along with IndustriALL Global Union, the Secretary of the Renault Group Works Council (a global council) and the trade union bodies represented within it, is in fact quite unique. Entitled, ‘Building the world of work together at Renault Group’, Renault’s second global framework agreement (its first was signed in 2013 and addressed fundamental rights at work, c.f. article No. 130445) comes at a time when the...
2 July 2019
During the international Paris Air Show, the first ever Airbus Global Forum (AGF) meeting was held at the Airbus Helicopters site in Paris Le Bourget on 20 and 21 June 2019. An entirely voluntary management initiative, this global social dialogue body aims to enable representatives to tackle various strategic challenges facing the Group. Historically based in Europe, Airbus is also demonstrating its now wholly global nature as well as increasing internationalization. Presided by Thierry Baril, Airbus Group HR...
26 June 2019
On 20 June, cheese group Bel (which employs just over 5,500 across Europe) along with the SNB and with assistance from EFFAT (European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism sectors), signed an agreement for the putting in place of a European Works Council. In terms of geographical scope the agreement includes Ukraine as well as Switzerland in the EWC’s remit and intends to maintain UK representatives under a no-deal Brexit scenario. Information will commence with a notice detailing the...
25 June 2019
On 21 June, Italy energy company ENI, the global trade union federation IndustriALL Global Union, and three Italian sector-relevant trade unions renewed their GFA. In it the company commits to developing its human rights due diligence to ensure its alignment with the UN guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and it puts greater emphasis on improving working conditions in supply chains. The GFA also included a new article on sustainable development and environmental protection and includes the principle...
25 June 2019
In a decision passed on 18 June (here), a Central Arbitration Committee in the UK declared that the leadership of a non-European company, in this case Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE), may change the location of its European subsidiary that will act as its representative agent in the context of the negotiation of a European Works Council, provided that this re-designation is made in good faith and employee rights of information and consultation are preserved. In this case, the IT giant re-designated its...
24 June 2019
The 1944 Declaration of Philadelphia opened with these strong words: labour is not a commodity. It also established a series of primary objectives for the International Labour Organization – created 25 years earlier in 1919 – such as that of ensuring social justice. The 108th Session of the International Labour Conference, which came to a close on 21 June and marked the centenary of the ILO, intended to produce a declaration setting out the ILO’s roadmap for its second century of existence. The conference...
13 May 2019
IndustriALL Global Union, the IUF (International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations), and Unilever have signed an agreement to limit the use of temporary workers and protect permanent jobs in Unilever factories. The Joint Commitment on Sustainable Employment in Unilever Manufacturing sets out principles and...
9 May 2019
Invited by Germany’s Ver.di union (United Services Trade Union), on 29 and 30 April trade unions from the services and retail sectors across 15 different countries, along with representatives from the global services federation UNI Global, met together in Berlin to formulate a joint strategy aimed at countering practices by the online retailing giant, Amazon. Beyond regular demands for representation, salaries, working time and so on, the trade unionists are seeking to open up dialogue with Amazon management on...
2 May 2019
On 29 April 2019, Korian, a leading French multinational provider of medical and non-medical care and support services for the elderly and people with short or longer-term health issues across a European network of 6 countries and more than 52,000 workers, signed an agreement with the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) body to establish a European Works Council (EWC), making this the first EWC to have been established in the sector that cares for the elderly and people with disabilities. The agreement is now a benchmark reference, firstly because it is the first in a sector that is set to grow, and secondly because the EWC...
18 April 2019
On 05 April 2019, Belgian chemical company Solvay together with its global social dialogue body, the Solvay Global Forum (c.f. article No. 10248), signed an agreement over the 2019 budget and goals for the group’s Global Performance Sharing Program, which depend both on financial objectives and sustainable development goals. This marks the fifth global plan that Solvay has entered into with its international social partners.
