BNP Paribas has signed a new agreement with international trade union federation UNI Global Union which strengthens the rights of its employees worldwide.
The bank has pledged to implement new ways of working and technological transformations, as well as measures to support diversity and inclusion, parenthood and employee health and wellbeing under the four-year deal.
It plans to enable different remote working conditions as an extension of the first agreement it signed in 2018, and also help staff develop their skills while using artificial intelligence securely and ethically.
According to the bank, it has “chosen to pursue its pro-parenthood policy” and will be offering staff at least six days of paid paternity leave and paid leave in the case of adoption or surrogacy, as well as at least 14 weeks of paid maternity leave.
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Staff will have access to a new whistleblowing platform, enabling employees who have been disrespected or discriminated against to confidentially report behaviour that violates the firm’s code of conduct. Shared principles for handling such alerts and more robust follow-up measures have also been introduced.
To support domestic violence victims, the bank says it will continue to offer support such as in-house assistance, counselling, and dissemination of initiatives already developed in several countries.
Under the agreement, BNP Paribas has committed to a global three-pronged ‘We Care’ plan for employee health and wellbeing, which includes the provision of access to mental health support and counselling, a preventive medical check-up with personalised feedback, and advice and assistance for employees with long-term illnesses to prevent isolation and promote continued employment. It will also offer guidance for when they return to work.
The new agreement will apply to all 183,000 of the bank’s employees in 63 countries.
Sofia Merlo, head of human resources of the BNP Paribas Group said: “Our first agreement in 2018 enabled us to define a shared social framework for all our employees worldwide. The renewal of this agreement signed with UNI Global Union makes concrete and measurable commitments and enables us to strengthen the fundamental rights of our employees, while considering the important changes taking place in our societies.”
She added that one of the bank’s priorities is ensuring all employees are treated with respect and that working conditions ensure the physical and mental health of its teams in all locations, including in a hybrid working environment.
Christy Hoffman, UNI general secretary said: “This agreement is a big step forward for trade union rights across BNP Paribas’ global operations and includes new protections for all its workers on key issues including teleworking, AI, gender equality, diversity and inclusion. UNI is now recognised as a partner to BNP Paribas in due its due diligence processes, meaning that workers’ voices will be heard at the heart of decision-making. We look forward to working with BNP Paribas to implement this agreement and continue improving workers’ lives around the world.”
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