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Veolia, the French multinational providing water, energy and waste recycling management services, is to sign a European framework agreement on diversity and inclusion with the European Federation of Public Service Unions. It will create a right to paid leave in cases of domestic violence and commits the group to LGBTQ+ rights. The agreement comes as Veolia adjusts to the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and comes at a time when large international companies are renouncing their policies in these areas under pressure from the Trump administration.
Veolia has chosen to make a clear commitment to diversity and inclusion. While such pledges were the norm among large companies just a few months ago, the return to power in the United States of Donald Trump has changed the game at Walmart, Meta, Amazon, and others. Although most of the negotiations took place beforehand (the last session was held in November 2024), Veolia has not backed down, even with 12,000 employees (out of 220,000 worldwide) and its position as the leading private water operator in the world’s leading economic power.
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Article authors
Antoine Piel
Section Head at Mind HR