Company
SUEZ Group
Date of signature
3 October 2024
Signatories
For SUEZ Group management:
- Chair and Chief Executive Officer
- Group Human Resources Director
For the European federations:
- EPSU: General Secretary
- IndustriALL Europe: Deputy General Secretary
French union organisations.
Key objectives
"The health and safety of employees, subcontractors, customers, and more broadly all citizens is a priority for the SUEZ Group. Accordingly, the Group’s Health & Safety policy, rolled out in June 2022, pursues the objective of “Zero serious and fatal accidents.”
However, nearly 10 years after the signature of the previous European agreement (which is no longer in force), the European social partners and SUEZ Group management wished to reopen negotiations on health and safety in order to take a new step forward. This involves enriching the Group’s general Health & Safety policy with new themes and concrete actions in the areas of physical health, mental health, and workplace safety, while maintaining the fundamental principles introduced by the 2014 collective agreement." (English – unofficial translation)
Duration
Concluded for an indefinite period
Applicable law
"This agreement is governed by French law. In the event of a dispute, the matter shall be brought before the French courts." (English – unofficial translation)
Implementation and dissemination
"This agreement shall be translated for each member into the language of the country they represent." (English – unofficial translation)
Review and monitoring
“2.2.3. The Health and Safety Working Group of the European Works Council
Given the essential nature of social dialogue and consultation in protecting employees’ health and safety, a Working Group in charge of monitoring health and safety issues, whose remit covers all Group employees in Europe, has been established within the European Works Council.
This Working Group has in particular the general mission to:
Monitor the indicators relating to the Group’s Health & Safety policy;
Be informed in advance of any significant change or adaptation of the Group’s Health & Safety policy;
Formulate any observations regarding draft standards implemented and/or revised by the Group Health and Safety Department;
Report back on its reflections/work to the European Works Council;
Monitor the development of the Group’s health and safety performance at work, in compliance with legal provisions and the recommendations of the International Labour Organization;
Ensure compliance with the principles and commitments of this agreement as well as Group-level agreements relating to health & safety. It draws up an annual assessment of the application of the Group’s Health & Safety policy;
Once a year, present to the European Works Council an assessment of its activity, in particular the monitoring of the implementation of the commitments and principles of this agreement: the European Works Council may thus monitor the Agreement and propose improvement actions.
The European Works Council Working Group also has the possibility, once a year in the context of Health & Safety exchanges, to invite up to two representatives from an activity outside the European perimeter, at the proposal of Management or the Working Group.
Furthermore, in order to monitor the commitments provided for in this agreement, the European Works Council Working Group will benefit each year from:
Monitoring of measures regarding harassment;
The state of progress in compliance with standards, the report on identified non-compliances, improvement proposals and audit good practices concerning the requirements of these standards, and the presentation of ergonomics actions carried out by each perimeter;
For members of the Working Group who take part in the annual visit referred to in Article 8-5 of the agreement establishing the European Works Council within the SUEZ Group of 22 November 2022 (a site visit being organised for all members participating in the plenary meeting), the possibility of supplementing that visit with a health and safety-dedicated visit. Given the operating constraints of the site concerned, this will be organised immediately before or after the general visit;
Presentation of a summary of workstation training actions on high-risk machinery carried out by the entities;
Monitoring of indicators relating to violence committed by third parties in the workplace context.
Article 7.2 – Monitoring of the agreement
In accordance with Article 2.2.3 of this agreement, the health and safety Working Group will be provided with monitoring indicators.**”
(English – unofficial translation)
Dispute settlement and sanctions
Not specified
Related texts
Suez Environnement Group agreement on fundamental principles regarding health and safety (2014)
Main topics
Occupational health and safety (including musculoskeletal disorders, mental risks), right to disconnect
prevention of harassment, prevention of violence by third parties, domestic violence, contractor and subcontractor safety / co-activity management