(4 January 2012) Following the merger of Gdf and Suez in 2007 and several years of operation of several separate energy business lines the company wanted to bring these together.
The new structure would group together 27.000 workers. The restructuring effects close to 2.500 workers directly particularly in those in corporate functions of the merged entities. Management consulted the EWC. The energy working group explored the possible implications and engaged the expertise of Secafi
The (...)

(17 October 2011) The European Works Council of GdfSuez reached a groundbreaking opinion regarding the participation of the Chinese Sovereign wealth fund in the company. The opinion can be seen as a rebuff to the efforts of the Chinese government to win international respect. This remains difficult if transparency and labour rights are not respected.
The French company GdfSuez is working on a deal to open the capital of its Gas exploration business (EPI) and oversees-LNG to the Chinese (...)

(12 September 2011) The negotiations to come to a transnational company agreement on equality is making good and steady progress. Large agreement exists over:
Scope of the agreement
Development and follow up of equality action plans and the involvement of local workplace representatives
Importance of changing mentalities and behavior
Communication on the agreement
Dealing with recruitment
Parity during career development
Access to professional training
Networking and mentoring (...)

(28 June 2011) The unions considered a number of articles of the proposed agreement which were still left and had an important discussion on the follow up to be given to the agreement. They also finalized their proposal for the preambule and agreed to set up a small working group to work on the data needed to monitor the agreement and including how to use the social reporting system of GdfSuez to monitor progress with achieving the benchmarks.
The unions also considered their response to (...)

Lodges Complaint with OECD
(8 June 2011) A delegate of the US trade union Utility Workers Union of America which represents workers in several operations of United Water a subsidiary of GdfSuez paid a visit to several unions in Europe to explain the conflict of the union with the company. The company has demanded concessions of the workforce to accept lower pay and conditions for workers which enter the company. This concerns especially health and pension benefits. The company has also (...)

(31 May 2011) Management of GdfSuez proposed to the trade unions in the company to commence negotiations on a transnational agreement on participation of the employees in the results of the Group. Management provided information on this 12 May 2011. The European Federations started their procedures to obtain a mandate from the unions to start the negotiations and for the unions to nominate their negotiators. Several unions voiced concerns regarding the issue, scope and detail of the (...)

(25 May 2011) The trade union group continued its considerations of the proposals of management for a transnational agreement on equality for GdfSuez. The main discussions focused on:
balancing professional and family and what kind of practical measures would assist in bring equality forward
leave arrangements and how to ensure both men and women take this up. While it is recognized that there are large differences in the company it is not normal that workers in some countries have no (...)

GdfSuez announced it wished to open up the capital of the transmission network company GrtGaz and to create a basis for further European expansion. The EWC was informed and then consulted and also issued an expertise on the dossier provided by Secafi. A special or extraordinary EWC meeting took place 23 May. The EWC adopted its opinion which takes account of the industrial project, the financial aspects and the social consequences while placing the operation in a European context.
To read (...)

(6 May 2011) Following the initial discussion of a proposal of management for a transnational company agreement on professional equality between men and women 15 March, the trade union side prepared a series of amendments. These were agreed in the preparatory meeting and proposed and discussed with management 5 May. The aim for the company and the trade union side is to have a realistic and ambitious programme to ensure GdfSuez will move forward to bring equality between its male and female (...)

(5 May 2011) Following a brief information to the Bureau of the European Works Council (EWC) of GdfSuez an extra-ordinary meeting was held in which the CEO of GdfSuez Gerard Mestrallet and his staff presented the project to open the capital of GrtGaz to a consortium of French public finance institutions, to reorganize the business activities including in Germany and Austria and the industrial project behind the operation. The project is accompanied by offering the employees to obtain a (...)