Published on 03/06/2015

Societe Generale signs a global agreement with UNI Global Union

The first global agreement between a French bank and UNI Global Union

Societe Generale and UNI Global Union signed a global agreement on human rights and the freedom of association at a ceremony held today in the presence of Philip Jennings, UNI Global Union General Secretary and Edouard-Malo Henry, Group Head of Human Resources at Societe Generale.

The three-year agreement applies to all the Societe Generale Group's entities and is consistent with its corporate social responsibility policy. It reaffirms the bank's undertaking to respect human rights as laid out in its Code of Conduct and its recognition of the International Labour Organisation's Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, including the freedom of association.

"We are pleased to be the first French bank to sign a global agreement that furthers the policy of social dialogue that we have applied across the Group in recent years. It reflects the Group's commitment to ensuring the quality of this dialogue around the world and sends a strong message to the Group's 148,000 employees, confirming its respect for individuals and human rights," said Edouard-Malo Henry, Group Head of Human Resources at Societe Generale.

UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings said, “This is a ground breaking agreement. It is the first time one of the largest banks’ has signed a global agreement with a global union. We applaud Societe Generale for taking the lead and we urge other banks in France and elsewhere to follow suit. The bank has a strong global reach and this is a positive step to build a global dialogue on global standards. UNI and Societe Generale will work together to implement the agreement for the benefit of the company’s employees and the economic sustainability of the bank.”

 

Contacts presse:

Societe Generale:
Antoine Lhéritier
Antoine.lheritier@socgen.com
+33 (0)1 42 13 68 99


UNI Global Union:
Richard Elliott
Richard.Elliott@uniglobalunion.org
+41 79 794 9709

 

About UNI Global Union
 

UNI Global Union is a global union representing 20 million workers from over 900 trade unions worldwide. Headquartered in Nyon, Switzerland, UNI represents workers in skills and services – the fastest growing sectors in the world of work. UNI's mission is to build power for working people in service sectors world-wide through the growth of unions and expansion of collective bargaining; to improve the working and living conditions for workers; and support decent jobs for all and sustainable economic growth.

UNI Finance, the Global Union for all finance and insurance workers represents 3 million employees in 237 trade unions worldwide, including the French unions CFDT, CGT and FO.