Solvay: new global framework agreement signed that pre-empts corporate due diligence requirements

Belgian chemical group Solvay, which employs more than 23,000 employees worldwide, has renewed the global framework agreement (GFA) between itself and Industriall Global Union, the global union federation. Penned on 31 March 2022, the text – valid for a period of four years – anticipates legislative advances on companies' due diligence obligations and should allow for social dialogue to be developed at the group's sites in the United States, where union representation depends on a majority vote of the employees.
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The previous global framework agreement between the two parties, which had run from 2017, enabled the implementation of a global social protection floor (health cover, fully paid maternity leave, insurance scheme, support in the event of disability, see article n°10083). Since then, paternity leave has been increased to 16 weeks, matching the length of maternity leave. The agreement also maintained commitments to foster direct employment, environmental protection, social dialogue and the...

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