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31 July, 2012Siemens, its General Works Council, IG Metall and IndustriALL Global Union signed a Global Framework Agreement on principles of social responsibility in Frankfurt on 25 July 2012. In that agreement Siemens once again commits itself to fundamental workers’ rights such as equal opportunity and freedom of association and collective bargaining.
“For the employees and unions, it is of particular importance that globally active companies should support human and workers’ rights and act accordingly,” said Berthold Huber, First Chairman of IG Metall and President of IndustriALL Global Union. “With Siemens we have enshrined that in our joint declaration. That canon of values must be practiced both by workers and managers of the Group every day. The Global Framework Agreement creates a further basis for doing so in Siemens.”
Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, said: “This Agreement with Siemens is an important tool for trade unions in securing fundamental workers’ rights wherever the company operates and in its supply chains. The Siemens agreement is one of 40 agreements between IndustriALL and multinational companies, setting the standards for company behavior towards its workforce and unions around the world.”
Lothar Adler, Chairman of the Siemens General Works Council: “We are for fair employment conditions worldwide. The Agreement lays particular stress on the fundamental rights of Siemens’ employees. For us, people come before profits. The signing of this agreement will make it possible for the right to participate for fair working conditions to continue to be observed in practice.”
The Agreement refers to the fundamental workers’ rights contained in the relevant international conventions, the core labour standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN initiative of the Global Compact. These include, for example, the abolition of forced labour, a ban on discrimination and the principle of equal treatment, prohibition of child labour, the establishment of a minimum employment age, and freedom of association and collective bargaining.
IndustriALL Global Union represents workers in a wide range of sectors from extraction of oil and gas, mining, generation and distribution of electric power, to manufacturing of metals and metal products, shipbuilding, automotive, aerospace, mechanical engineering, electronics, chemicals, rubber, pulp and paper, building materials, textiles, garments, leather and footwear and environmental services. IndustriALL Global Union was founded in Copenhagen on 19 June 2012. The new organization brings together affiliates of the former global union federations: International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF), International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) and International Textiles Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF).
For more go to: www.industriall-union.org
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the fields of industry, energy and healthcare as well as providing infrastructure solutions, primarily for cities and metropolitan areas. For over 160 years, Siemens has stood for technological excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality. The company is the world's largest provider of environmental technologies. Around 40 per cent of its total revenue stems from green products and solutions. In fiscal 2011, which ended on September 30, 2011, revenue from continuing operations totaled €73.5 billion and net income from continuing operations €7.0 billion. At the end of September 2011, Siemens had around 360,000 employees worldwide on the basis of continuing operations.
For further information, please visit: www.siemens.com.