On 31 July the French banking group signed with UNI Global Union, the international trade union federation of the private service sector, a global framework agreement covering basic labour rights. The agreement also contains a commitment to parenting, with the establishment of the principle of 16 weeks’ paid maternity leave, which will be available to all of the group’s female employees as of 1 January 2021. Furthermore it is recommended that entities arrange adoption or paternity leave to account for the diversity of parenting situations. Meanwhile, the agreement stands out in the finance sector through its chapter on digitalisation. Here the bank commits to strive to limit the negative impacts of new technologies on employees and their working conditions whilst ensuring all workers receive the training and re/up-skilling necessary for the jobs of the future. The agreement also contains a chapter on personal data protection. It will apply to the 75,000 workers at the Crédit Agricole group, in the 47 countries in which is operates.
Commitments on trade union freedom. Going beyond the usual approach adopted on this matter, the signatories to the agreement have outlined a procedure geared towards allowing workers to “effectively exercise their right to freedom of association”, by informing them about the usefulness of a union, when none is present. This procedure involves:
- Agreeing on the terms and conditions of access to Crédit Agricole group entities “in accordance with the applicable local provisions and insofar as possible”;
- Meetings with UNI’s local employees and affiliates taking place without entity managers being present.
If there is no agreement on the aforementioned terms and conditions of access, either party may raise the issue with the follow-up committee set up for this agreement, which will then assess and reach a resolution on the matter.
Do you have information to share with us?