Great Britain: employers brace themselves for the Global Climate Strike

With the Global Climate Strike, founded following the movement propelled by the emblematic Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, having called for a global strike to protect the planet on 20 September, some employers are taking the lead on the matter, the Financial Times revealed in recent days. The British newspaper asked major employers what they plan to do when the day of the strike comes around. Patagonia, the US clothing brand, said that it always encourages its employees to campaign for the environment and even provides them with financial support. German ethical bank GLS meanwhile will close on 20 September so that every employee can mobilise. The oil giant Shell has announced that its employees may request a day of leave, without any difficulties, so they can demonstrate. While companies some are still weighing up their respective approaches (Virgin and Ikea, for example), others such as BP, Facebook and Google refused to respond to the newspaper. In general experts in human resources are calling for foresight and caution in view of the strike. They advise employees to make sure they respect the rules of their company when striking, and say the best-informed employers should take a stance ahead of time and, importantly, engage in dialogue with their HR departments, so as to avoid any problematic situations.