Preamble
The aim of this Agreement is to promote cooperation and social responsibility within Essity's world-wide operations. Cooperation is built upon mutual respect, confidence and freely available and honest information, and ensures the possibility for employees and their representatives to influence decisions through consultation1 with Essity management.
Promoting social responsibility includes important principles concerning human and trade union rights, as well as improving health and safety in the workplace and environmental protection.
This Agreement covers all activities where Essity has direct control. Where Essity does not have direct control, it will exercise its best efforts in order to secure compliance with the standards set out in this Agreement. Essity will notify its subcontractors and licensees of this Agreement and encourage compliance with the standards.
The parties to this Agreement are Essity, the Swedish workers Union (Unionen), IndustriALL Global Union and Essity Group EWC (European Works Council).
Based on the parties' common recognition of fundamental human rights and Essity's Code of Conduct, the purpose of this Agreement is to monitor the practical application of the agreed principles. This Agreement also provides the parties with a basis for discussing improvements in working practices or any positive contribution they may wish to make to economic and social progress.
Principles
1. Essity will use the core labour standards of the ILO as the guiding principles and will as an absolute minimum comply with applicable national legislation, collective agreement and regulatory requirements.
4.Essity strives to provide employees with opportunities to train for job enrichment and increased responsibilities.
6.Essity recognizes that its workers are key to its success. Essity is therefore committed to ensuring that both permanent, part time workers and hired-in personnel are treated fairly. Essity recognizes that permanent employment is preferable to both parties. The parties acknowledge that occasionally hired-in workers are necessary and that effective use of such allows Essity to quickly adapt to changing conditions.
Outsourcing is normally an area where Essity is formally obliged to notify and conduct formal negotiations with its employee organizations and will comply with any such requirements.
8.Essity respects fundamental human rights and will be guided in its operations by the provisions of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
9.Essity supports and respects the protection of human rights within its sphere of influence; in particular the effective elimination of compulsory labour and child labour, and it will make this criterion in the choice and management of its relationships with suppliers and sub-contractors. At the same time any proven violation of the principles contained in the Agreement that is not remedied despite warnings will lead to termination of relations with the company concerned.
10.Essity recognizes the seriousness of blood borne virus infections and the potential impact they can have on the workplace and lives of employees.
Essity will therefore address blood borne infection in accordance with adopted policy.
Implementation
Essity will inform its business groups about the existence and the content of this Agreement. Essity will take necessary steps to make all local site management aware of their obligations according to this Agreement. Essity will ensure that appropriate translations of the Agreement to all affiliates that organize employees in Essity world-wide, and broadly publicize the existence of the Agreement and explain its implications to their affiliates within Essity. The parties to the Agreement may also decide to cooperate jointly in promoting and explaining this Agreement and its implications.
Grievance / Complaint I Procedure
In the event of breach of the Agreement the following procedure will normally apply to claims by covered employees:
1.The employee or her/his local trade union should raise the complaint with the local site management.
2.If the complaint is not resolved with the local site management the appropriate national trade union will raise the issue with the human resource department at business group or regional level.
3.If still unresolved, the complaint will be referred to IndustriALL Global Union/Unionen who will raise the issue with Essity Corporate Management.
Review
Essity, Unionen IndustriALL Global Union and Essity Group EXE EWC Team will meet every second year to review practice in the area of the agreed principles and follow up this Agreement.
Duration, Renegotiation and Termination
Hereafter the agreement is applicable for an indeterminate duration if not cancelled or asked renegotiated by one of the parties. Cancellation or renegotiation must take place with a notice of at least 6 months, and shall be followed by mandatory negotiations initiated by the company.
This Agreement between Essity and IndustriALL Global Union / Unionen / Essity Group EWC is signed on May 4, 2018 by the following parties:
Magnus Groth
President and CEO
Essity Group
Mikael Schmidt
SVP Legal Affairs & General Counsel
Essity Group
Valter Sanches
General Secretary IndustriALL
Martin Linder
Chairman, Unionen
Frank Gottselig
Chairman, Essity Group EWC