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G4S, the international security company, has signed a deal with global union body UNI aimed at improving employment standards for its employees worldwide.
The Ethical Employment Partnership is expected to play an important role in raising standards across the developing markets in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America, which account for more than two thirds of the group's 570,000 employees.
The agreement aims to drive through improvements in industry standards, employment conditions and wages, and have a positive effect not only on the firm's employees, but on their families and the communities in which they live and work. The deal also makes clear that employees have the right to organise unions in a free and fair atmosphere.
Jenni Myles, director of employee engagement and HR at G4S, said: "G4S has a long history of building positive relationships with employees and their representatives - our relationship with the GMB in the UK has been in place for more than 40 years.
"We take our responsibilities as a global leader very seriously and our new partnership with UNI is designed to support the raising of employment standards to even higher levels, and with its help we believe we can improve standards not just in G4S but in the wider business community."
Philip Jennings, general secretary of UNI, added: "We welcome this agreement as a first for a British employer in the services sector."
