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SUEZ and the European Union Federations sign a European agreement to strengthen professional equality
Bertrand Camus, CEO of SUEZ, the Group’s European unions, and the European Union Federations have signed an agreement to reinforce the promotion of professional equality. As such, SUEZ will adapt all of its businesses to make them accessible to both women and men. The agreement also provides for actions to deconstruct stereotypes and zero tolerance for sexual harassment. It will apply to all European Business Units. Outside of Europe, the Group will encourage its entities to voluntarily apply the principles of this agreement.
SUEZ and its European social partners EPSU and IndustriAll Europe, which represent SUEZ employees, are reaffirming their commitment to promoting professional equality between all employees. Professional equality contributes to the Group’s economic and social performance, cohesion and changing attitudes in civil society. This is why the Group has decided to invite all its Business Units around the world, outside Europe, to apply the provisions of the agreement to their Human Resources policies.
➢ 3 types of commitments
- 1. Strengthening the gender mix policy to ensure that all SUEZ's activities are accessible regardless of gender considerations: working conditions, and in particular installations and personal protective equipment, must be adapted to promote gender diversity in all jobs.
- 2. Zero tolerance for sexual harassment: tackling sexual harassment and sexism by implementing a targeted policy such as alert procedures, a victim protection system, awareness-raising and training for managers, a helpline and steps against everyday sexism.
- 3. Support parenthood without distinguishing between men and women: combat prejudices related to uptake of paternity/parental leave, encourage flexible working hours and remote working for a better work-life balance.
➢ Quantified commitments
SUEZ counts on all of its employees to achieve the various objectives and, as such, proposes continuing efforts to increase the number of women in the company to 25% overall, 33% women in management on permanent contracts by 2023, mapping the workforce distribution between operational and functional professions and promoting equal pay.
“We welcome the renewal of this agreement as it goes in the right direction. It defines clear values, sets ambitious targets and concrete measures to achieve them. No matter the type of job within the company, driving a truck, working in the administration or being in the management, gender equality must be ensured. A new phase starts now and we will closely monitor implementation, to ensure all workers will benefit from this agreement” says Jan Willem Goudriaan, EPSU Secretary General.
I am glad to sign this European agreement. Equality between women and men in all areas, at SUEZ, is something that is close to my heart. This new agreement shows significant progress as part of a broader gender balance dynamic and not only in increasing female representation in the workforce. SUEZ, in France, recently obtained an overall score of 84 out of 100 in the professional equality index, placing the Group among the best companies in the sector. We also want to add an extra-European dimension to this agreement by promoting it in all the Group’s Business UnitsBertrand Camus , Chief Executive Officer of SUEZ