Global agreement on fundamental rights signed at OTE

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In June 2001, the Greek-based Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) signed an international agreement on workers' rights with the OME-OTE trade union, which represents most of its Greek workforce, and UNI, which represents telecommunications workers' unions worldwide. The deal commits OTE to recognise a range of fundamental rights in all its operations, and establishes an implementation and follow-up mechanism.

On 26 June 2001, a global agreement was signed at the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) by company management, Union Network International (UNI) - which brings together telecommunications workers' trade unions worldwide - and the Federation of OTE Workers (OME-OTE), following close cooperation between UNI and its affiliate, OME-OTE (which represents some 90% of OTE's Greek workforce). The agreement is based on the fundamental workers' rights set out in a number of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions, and its main objective is to determine an operational code of conduct for the parties to the agreement, in order to implement in practice these agreed principles. Since the partial privatisation of OTE, the company has expanded from Greece into the Balkan region, and now has a presence in several countries.

The parties to the agreement declare their support for fundamental human rights in society and at the workplace, in the following areas:

• ensuring that employment is freely chosen;

• promoting the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment;

• prohibiting child labour;

• respecting workers' rights to organise collectively and to bargain collectively;

• respecting the right of workers' representatives to represent workers;

• paying living wages;

• ensuring that hours of work are not excessive;

• providing decent working conditions;

• respecting others at work;

• giving all workers the right to participate in education and training without discrimination;

• respecting employers' obligations; and

• respecting the environment.

In order to fulfil the above objectives and commitments, the parties agreed to conduct an ongoing dialogue and to meet regularly, on the basis of predetermined principles, notably the following:

• OTE management and representatives of UNI and OME-OTE will meet once a year;

• in addition, ad hoc meetings will be held, by agreement between the parties;

• during the annual meeting, OTE management will provide general information regarding the company's activities worldwide and the impact of these activities on workers' interests. This information will also include future estimates regarding the level and structure of employment in all OTE affiliates. The information will also include a description and evaluation of the company's social policies;

• during the meeting, OTE, UNI and OME-OTE will hold discussions on specific issues (eg trade union rights, equal opportunities, health and safety, education and new technologies) with the aim of agreeing on initiatives to promote good standards and practice in all the entities in which OTE is involved;

• OTE agrees to give advance notification to UNI and hold an extraordinary meeting with a UNI delegation if, in the interval between the annual meetings, new developments occur which are likely to have a significant impact on employees' interests; and

• costs arising from the implementation of the agreement will be borne by OTE. Such costs include the necessary transport, accommodation and other expenses for the agreed number of UNI representatives.

The parties agree that any differences arising out of the interpretation or implementation of the agreement will be examined jointly for the purpose of submitting recommendations to the parties concerned. If necessary, a monitoring group will be set up, which will consist of two members from OTE and two members from UNI. This group will report to the president of OTE and the general secretary of UNI.

In OTE's opinion, by establishing the basis for mutual information and constant dialogue, this agreement underlines the company's view that respect for workers' rights is an essential element in the development and advancement of industrial relations. In this context, the company will make efforts, as far as possible, to do business with contractors, subcontractors and suppliers which recognise and implement the abovementioned social criteria.

At the signing ceremony on 26 June, the OME-OTE president, Panagiotis Kotronis, stated that the principles of union recognition, the right to organise, collective bargaining and social responsibility were taken for granted in Greece, and expected these principles to be respected wherever OTE does business. The OTE chief executive, Nikos Manasis, stated that at the previous day's annual general meeting of OTE shareholders he had committed the company to new principles of corporate governance, of which one key pillar was social partnership. Christos Economou of OME-OTE commented that the accord will mean a structured dialogue between the company and all unions concerned.

This agreement is a first in Greece and UNI states that it looks forward to working with its affiliates to develop the partnership. UNI already has a "global agreement" with the Spanish-based telecommunications multinational, Telefónica, and there are a growing number of such international workers' rights deals in other sectors (EU0105213F).