sain t-gobain annu al report 2008 annual report

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Honest, open, high quality social dialogue
In a given business, most of the social dialogue process takes
place at the company or facility level, where it can deliver
an appropriate response to local concerns and issues.
Employee representatives negotiate and sign agreements
with individual companies, in accordance with local legislation
and practices.
In 2008, 63.4% of employees had an employee representative
body in their unit.
Percentage of employees covered by a collective bargaining
agreement, by Sector (current scope of consolidation)
100 %
80 %
60 %
40 %
20 %
0 %
59,8
62,6
61,0
66,3
69,0
65,2
Flat Glass High-
Performance
Materials
Innovative Materials
60,8
60,7
57,7
Construction
Products
66,8
63,0
62,8
Building
Distribution
Packaging
Holding
compagnies
2005
2006
2007
Of the 1,479 agreements signed with employee representatives
during the year, more than 30% addressed compensation
issues, while a smaller percentage dealt with work
organization, jobs and training.
In all, 62.7% of employees (99.4% in France) are covered
by a collective-bargaining agreement.
European Social Dialogue
Since 1988, the European Social Dialogue Convention
has helped to enhance the quality of the social dialogue
process by addressing issues of mutual concern
and facilitating the exchange of information, supporting
both local negotiations with employee representatives
and the Group’s Europe-wide employee relations commitment.
Now comprising 70 union representatives from 20 European
Union host countries plus Switzerland and Norway, the
Convention’s annual meeting offers an opportunity for General
Management and employee representatives to exchange
views on the Group’s strategy and on various business,
financial and employee relations issues of concern
to all of our European subsidiaries.
A permanent secretariat provides a forum for more extensive
and frequent dialogue with management. It currently includes
nine members of eight different nationalities (German, French,
British, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian and Polish) who are
provided with technological resources and receive time-off pay
for the performance of their duties.
86,1
76,2
82,4
60,6
59,1
68,8
65,7
63,9
62,7
Total
The permanent secretariat is led by a three-member
committee comprised of a secretary and two deputy
secretaries. This tends to be the most active part
of the organization during the year, since it is responsible
for monitoring the general process and ongoing day-to-day
dialogue with management. In turn, management keeps
the committee informed of any international transactions
that affect the Group’s scope of consolidation or structure.
The Convention is closely involved in all of our strategic events.
In 2008, a fifth amendment to the Convention agreement
was signed to define a formal framework for European social
dialogue procedures and initiate negotiations
on the notification/consultation process.
General Management also asked to increase the number
of meetings with the permanent secretariat in order
to respond to questions posed by employee representatives
with regard to the current business environment.
Assessments and surveys
Saint-Gobain continuously pursues dynamic, interactive
dialogue with employees, through a variety of forums,
surveys and interviews, in a commitment to fostering
a sense of alignment among the various internal
stakeholders and to effectively addressing employee
expectations and aspirations.
A number of regular events enable managers to talk
directly with General Management. Held four times a year,
the Carrefours Saint-Gobain forums offer 200
to 300 managers an opportunity to gain greater insight
into our strategic vision, as senior executives first talk
about our strategic challenges, priorities and objectives,
then answer questions from participants. At the most
recent Carrefours in December 2008, their answers were
later webcast on the corporate intranet, for viewing
by employees across the organization.
Some of the Delegations and companies also regularly
conduct surveys to gauge employee opinion at every level
and define local action plans. This is the case at Point.P,
for example. As well, the Brazil Delegation encourages
its subsidiaries to survey their entire workforce every one
or two years to assess employee views and expectations
on Group strategy, the image of the company
and the Group, working conditions and the extent
to which their personal aspirations are being fulfilled.
The annual performance reviews described above are also
an invaluable opportunity for management to dialogue with
each employee. As a core component of our Human resources
process, these reviews will eventually be conducted for every
manager and are strongly recommended for non-managers
as well. They enable employees to review their current job
performance with their direct manager; assess their results
compared with the objectives set at the start of the period;
identify the skills required, acquired or in need
of improvement; set goals for the period to come
Saint-Gobain - 2008 Annual Report