Today, on 16 September, Bertrand Camus, chief executive of French utility group Suez, the group’s European trade unions, and the European Union Federations have signed an agreement to reinforce the fostering of professional equality. Suez had previously made a commitment of this kind in 2015, as part of a European agreement on professional equality signed with the same bodies (see article n°8995). This latest agreement resumes that commitment, with an update to part of its contents and its quantified targets. The agreement introduces a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment and establishes a procedure for dealing with cases of sexual harassment and everyday sexism. It also includes a plan to bring paternity leave pay up to the same level as maternity leave pay.
The first commitment made by Suez is to strengthen “the gender mix policy to ensure that all [its] activities are accessible regardless of gender considerations”. At the end of 2013, women accounted for 20.4% of staff, with sizeable variations according to country, branch and job category. At the end of 2014, women accounted for 31% of places on the group’s board of directors. This latest agreement indicates that steps forward have been made at Suez; at the end of 2018, 23.5% of the group’s...
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