Poland: state-backed reduced working hours trial launched Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders The UN inter-governmental working group on transnational businesses and human rights is to hold a fifth session of discussions over an international, legally binding instrument between 14 and 18 October in Geneva. The talks will be based on a new draft text, presented by the rapporteur having been drawn up following the fourth discussion session in October 2018 (see article n°10810). This initiative seeks to ensure effective access to justice and reparations for victims of human rights violations committed by multinational companies. In addition to providing access to justice and the possibility for companies that violate human rights to be held responsible, the draft treaty would also introduce an obligation to identify and prevent the risks of such violations.
UN agencies publish guidelines to protect workers from heat Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 22 August, the World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization released a joint report highlighting the rising risks that heat poses to workers amid climate change.…
France: Manpower seeks to raise climate awareness among all its temporary workers Corporate practices Since 22 April, temporary employment agency Manpower has been raising awareness of climate issues among its 70,000 temporary workers in France through a web series, in partnership with Axa Climate, the insurer's subsidiary specialising in climate change adaptation. This programme, which responds to a request from client companies, aims to make them players in the ecological transition within their companies and in their daily lives.
Major companies form coalition on global social protection baselines Corporate practices Alongside a dozen other major companies, L'Oréal announced on 10 June the launch of the Engage & Care coalition around global social protection baselines. Beyond their commitment to providing their nearly two million employees with rights relating to parenting, caregiving, income and mental health, they intend to share their best practices and engage beyond their own boundaries to take action on these issues.
France: national campaign for employment of older workers launched Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 29 April, the French labour ministry organised a major conference on the employment of workers aged 50 and over in the country. This initiative marks the start of a national campaign to change practices, legislation and attitudes towards older workers.
France: major social impact of agri-food imports (study) Frame of reference/standards A study published by NGOs and a think tank has shone a spotlight on the social and environmental consequences in the countries producing 13 products imported by France, including coffee, cocoa, soybeans, tomatoes and bananas. The authors believe that the European Green Deal standards could remedy this, provided they are not watered down too much by the omnibus package.
Sweden: insurer Folksam offloads Tesla shares due to its anti-union stance Corporate practices On 2 May, the Swedish insurer Folksam (3,524 employees) announced that it was selling all of its shares in Tesla. It cites issues at the American car manufacturer owned by Elon Musk with regard to workers' rights in Sweden. The company has been in conflict with the Swedish trade union IF Metall for over a year due to its refusal to negotiate a collective agreement on salaries.
Global trade union skills centre launched on due diligence obligations Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 19 March, the global union confederations UNI Global Union (services) and IndustriAll (industry/energy), together with the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, a political foundation of the German Social Democratic Party, announced the creation of a skills centre to "strengthen workers’ rights through human rights due diligence laws". The team is currently being set up and is expected to start work at the end of 2025.
Germany: complaint filed against Edeka over lack of social and environmental due diligence in Guatemala Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders Two NGOs filed a complaint at the end of February against Edeka, one of Germany's leading retail chains (approximately 400,000 employees in 11,000 stores), with the country's Federal Office of Economics and Export Control. The accusation is based on the German supply chain due diligence act and concerns a series of social, human rights and environmental offenses by an indirect supplier of the German brand.
Exclusif How Sanofi approached its first CSRD report Frame of reference/standards While Brussels is working to significantly lighten the burden for companies under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), with the omnibus package published on 26 February, organisations in the first wave have still been required to publish their first report under this framework since the beginning of the year. The pharmaceutical group Sanofi is one of the first French companies to have done so. Its environmental, social and governance (ESG) director Laurent Lhopitallier reveals to mind RH how the company went about it.
