Social Dialogue

A member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2003, Crédit Agricole S.A. has made social dialogue one of the foundations of its Group project. This commitment is formalised in its Social dialogue policy published in 2023.

The Group attaches great importance to the development and maintenance of a rich social dialogue via Group and local bodies. As part of the Global Agreement signed with Global Union in 2023, the commitment to respect human rights, freedom of association, and the right to organise has been reaffirmed.

At Group level, social dialogue is embodied by two institutions that are common to Crédit Agricole S.A. and the Regional Banks:

• •  the European Works Council,
• •  the Group Committee. 

These works councils deal with Group-wide economic, social and financial issues. They were established by collective agreements at Group level.

In addition, the Consultative Committee is a specific body within Crédit Agricole S.A.. Its prerogatives are providing information and discussing the Group’s strategic projects, monitoring its results, employment situation etc.

The Group’s trade union representatives, who aim to strengthen local social dialogue, are appointed from within this Committee.

Lastly, two additional bodies, established via the GPEC Group agreement of 6 July 2012, are specifically dedicated to employment and the development of skills:

• •  the GPEC committee is in charge of monitoring the strategy and its foreseeable consequences on employment,
• •  the Skills and Capabilities Observatory conducts prospective analyses on changes in business lines and trends in employment.

At entity level, social dialogue is conducted through the Social and Economic Committees (Comité Social et Economique, or CSE) and their various commissions, as well as through negotiations with trade unions.

In 2023:

As an extension of adhering in December 2017 to the Global Deal, an international initiative in favour of social dialogue and upheld by the OECD, and as part of the strengthened social pact included in the Group's Human-centric project, a new Global Agreement was signed on 9 October 2023 with UNI Global Union, the international trade union federation for the private services sector. The term of the agreement is 31 December 2027. To find out more, please read our press release here.

This agreement covers in particular:

• •  parenthood, with the introduction of 28 calendar days' paid paternity leave for all employees;
• •  quality of life at work, by laying down principles for the use of teleworking applicable to all entities; 
• •  equal opportunities and non-discrimination;
• •  the inclusion of disabled employees.

The Group regularly reiterates its belief that transparent and responsible social dialogue at company level is the best way to strengthen mutual trust between management and employees and to support change.

The renewal of this Global Agreement illustrates this conviction and provides that, in the event of corporate restructuring, a social dialogue will be initiated in order to seek socially responsible solutions.

The quality of social dialogue plays a significant role in the balance of social relations that promote the development and performance of all the Group’s entities. To encourage this over the long term and to support social partners in the performance of their duties, Crédit Agricole S.A. signed an open-ended agreement on the career path of employee representatives on 8 March 2019.

This agreement provides for several types of action to promote commitment to staff representation, in particular as regards their career management and interviews, and special monitoring of compensation.