News

Société Générale and UNI Global Union signed a global agreement on human rights and the freedom of association at a ceremony held today in the presence of Philip Jennings, UNI Global Union General Secretary and Edouard-Malo Henry, Group Head of Human Resources at Société Générale. Also witnessing the signing were UNI Finance French affiliates (CGT, CFDT, FO) and the coordinators of the Global Alliance.

The three-year agreement applies to all the Société Générale Group's entities and is consistent with its corporate social responsibility policy. It reaffirms the bank's undertaking to respect human rights as laid out in its Code of Conduct and its recognition of the International Labour Organisation's Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, including the freedom of association.

"We are pleased to be the first French bank to sign a global agreement that furthers the policy of social dialogue that we have applied across the Group in recent years. It reflects the Group's commitment to ensuring the quality of this dialogue around the world and sends a strong message to the Group's 148,000 employees, confirming its respect for individuals and human rights," said Edouard-Malo Henry, Group Head of Human Resources at Société Générale.

UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings said, “This is a ground breaking agreement. It is the first time one of the biggest banks’ has signed a global agreement with a global union. We applaud Société Générale for taking the lead and we urge other banks in France and elsewhere to follow suit. The bank has a strong global reach and this is a positive step to build a global dialogue on global standards. UNI and Société Générale will work together to implement the agreement for the benefit of the company’s employees and the economic sustainability of the bank.”

This agreement was the result of a three-year cooperation with our affiliates supported by FSU- Sweden that culminated in the launch of the Société Générale Global Alliance. We would like to thank all the unions involved including the French affiliates who were fully engaged in the negotiation process in the spirit of “Breaking Through”.