CLERMONT-FERRAND, France — Looking to foster "open, constructive and responsible" dialogue with its employees globally, Group Michelin has started the process to create a Global Works Council, which it describes as a "social dialog body."
The council, which will comprise 50 representatives from the firm's various national or "economic space" entities, will be tasked with:
- sharing the group's strategic objectives and results — in complete transparency — with all of Michelin's host countries; and
- contributing to the co-construction of key policies in such areas as support for organizational change, competitiveness, employee welfare, sustainable development and diversity, particularly the inclusion of employees with disabilities.
To ensure the body's relevancy, Michelin is working with IndustriALL Global Union, an entity that represents over 50 million workers in 140 countries in the mining, energy and manufacturing sectors.
Michelin said signing an agreement with IndustriALL constitutes a "key milestone" in the process begun several years ago to foster dialogue at the international level.
The new employee representative organization is inspired by the work undertaken, the methods used and the positive results achieved by the company's European Works Council.
Founded in June 2012, IndustriALL 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).
Among the tasks the Global Works Council will be asked to address are:
- creating a forum for social dialogue that represents employees in all of Michelin's host countries;
- gaining a better understanding of the social, environmental and economic trends that impact Michelin worldwide; and
- driving an improvement, in all countries, in the social support provided during economic change.
The council will be chaired by Remi de Verdilhac, chief administrative officer of Michelin's group headquarters. The council's 50 members will be designated in February to give them ample time to prepare for the new organization's first meeting, scheduled to take place in Clermont-Ferrand on April 1, 2020.
Seats on the council will be allocated according to each group entity's headcount:
- Headcount from 501 to 1,500 employees: 1 representative
- Headcount from 1,501 to 4,500 employees: 2 representatives
- Headcount from 4,501 to 8,000 employees: 3 representatives
- Headcount from 8,001 to 20,000 employees: 4 representatives
- Headcount over 20,000 employees: 5 representatives.
Michelin stressed that the Global Works Council is a transnational social dialog body and thus does not replace any of the existing local, national or international employee representative bodies. It also shall not force to establish such a representative body where employee have not freely chosen one in accordance with local laws and customs.