Michelin couv courteGB

up of negotiating groups on sub-contracting, absenteeism and
worker profit sharing schemes;
• United Kingdom: negotiation with both majority unions
towards a new agreement for 2005.
In North America
Signature with United Steel Workers of America (USWA) of an
agreement for the 2003-2006 period, in all four Uniroyal
Goodrich plants, after the preceding agreement had expired in
April 2003.
In unionized plants, Michelin Group’s aim is to ensure a positive
relationship, whereby the plants’ overall targets may be met.
The Group’s relationship with “United Steel Workers of America”
(USWA), joined by most unionized Michelin staff, is a highly
professional one, geared to customer service and employee
respect. In addition to scheduled collective bargaining, Group
managers regularly meet USWA representatives to share
information on Company business, address topical issues and
discuss themes of common interest.
South America
• Brazil: a series of four agreements were signed with Rubber
Union Workers (agreement on general working conditions and
pay, profit sharing, interim work at the Resende site, shift
organization);
• Colombia: established negotiations over the years with respect
to pay and work organization.
Asia
• China: 80% of staff are covered by a union agreement;
• Japan, Taiwan and Thailand: regular meetings as part of
Workers Council relations.
Africa-Middle-East
• In Nigeria, an agreement was signed with the “Senior staff
association” on raising the level of four benefits: health, housing,
transportation and services;
• In Algeria, the Group set up a new profit sharing committee,
in the wake of elections held in the last quarter of 2004.
Strategy • Fundamentals • Businesses • Résultats Earnings
Company and environmental information
5 - Occupational hygiene and safety
Risk prevention as applied to industrial health
Two in-house experts are in charge of developing the Group’s
formal industrial health policy. Top among their priorities, are the
setting up and monitoring of an expert network and introduction
of relevant standards. A set of mandatory preventive and
remedial actions to deal with legionnaire’s disease contamination
hazard was thus drawn up in 2004.
With respect to the prevention of chemical hazard, a Centralized
Health and Safety (CHS) database of all potentially hazardous
chemicals used in the manufacturing process was set up at the
end of 2004. Note that for many years Michelin has subjected
all new chemicals to toxicological tests ahead of any approval of
products for use on an industrial scale.
Occupational health
Individual health is monitored internally and/or by third-party
service providers supervised by the Group’s head physician.
Where existing public health services are deemed inadequate,
Michelin takes steps to improve them.
For example, in 2003, Michelin supplied state-of-the-art
equipment to the Davydovo hospital (Russia). The in-house clinic
of the Port-Harcourt Nigerian plant was modernized in 2004.
In the remote sites, such as Brazil’s and Nigeria’s rubber tree
plantations, Michelin runs surgeries to treat patients quickly.
In 2004, Michelin continued its drive in the area of HIV prevention
and AIDS awareness among staff and local populations,
focusing on countries worst hit by the disease. For example,
in Nigeria, screening is systematically proposed to Port-Harcourt
staff during medical checks.
Safety at the workplace
On average, Michelin Group sites’ accident frequency and
seriousness rates are as follows:
2002 2003 2004
Frequency rate 18.06 9.93 5.73
Seriousness rate 0.65 0.46 0.32
Credit for the further significant progress achieved in 2004 after
those achieved in 2003, must be given to site management teams
and to the strong impulse at Group level to organize intensive
training sessions coupled with best practice sharing world-wide.
122•123