Human rights and employer-employee relationships

Our guiding principles on fair working conditions and social partnership are a crucial component in shaping our employer-employee relations. They are based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the core labour standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as well as the 3 main principles of the Resolution on Forced Labour by the Consumer Goods Forum. Accordingly, our guiding principles deal with issues such as free unionisation, the right to collective agreements, structured working hours and wages, occupational safety and health management as well as the prohibition of forced labour, child labour and discrimination.

We ensure that our and their national subsidiaries comply with the principles of fair working conditions by our head offices, stores and logistics centres. In order to improve the working conditions in the national subsidiaries, specific plans are being drawn up with the local colleagues, in which substantive measures with clear responsibilities and timetables are defined and executed. Since financial year 2016/17, extensive audits on with the METRO principles have been performed in 11 national subsidiaries (Pakistan, Bulgaria, China, Japan, Hungary, Italy, Serbia, India, Slovakia, Moldova and Spain). Many areas returned promising results, while others showed potential for improvement, in particular in the area of occupational safety. All on-site audits were followed by comprehensive training on the METRO principles on fair working conditions. are scheduled for 6 additional national subsidiaries in financial year 2018/19. METRO has set itself the goal to complete the auditing of all companies by 2020.

In addition, a training programme on forced labour was piloted in collaboration with the in the reporting period. The objective is to train METRO employees to recognise forced labour within the and to support the appropriate ability to act. The training will also be rolled out in all METRO countries by 2020.

On a national and international level, METRO maintains constant communication with works councils and unions and encourages management to engage in constructive and mutually informative dialogue with our employees and their representatives. This dialogue resulted in several collective employment agreements at the level of business units, countries or individual stores – depending on local laws and customary practices.

After successful contract negotiations, a new European Works Council Committee was established in February 2018.

Sales line
Part of a retail company that operates outlets or stores with a specific merchandising concept.
Glossary
Audit
A procedure that assesses an organisation’s processes and structures according to previously formulated standards and guidelines. Audits shed light on the effectiveness of process optimisation measures. If an audit is conducted by an external auditor, the certificate issued after the review can be used as evidence of adherence to standards.
Glossary
Compliance
All measures specifying a company’s and its employees’ behaviour in accordance with legislation, established social guidelines and values.
Glossary
Audit
A procedure that assesses an organisation’s processes and structures according to previously formulated standards and guidelines. Audits shed light on the effectiveness of process optimisation measures. If an audit is conducted by an external auditor, the certificate issued after the review can be used as evidence of adherence to standards.
Glossary
Wholesale, METRO Wholesale
The METRO Wholesale segment comprises the METRO Wholesale sales line of METRO AG with more than 769 wholesale stores across 35 countries worldwide. This also includes the delivery business (Food Service Distribution) with companies like METRO delivery service and the delivery specialists Classic Fine Foods, Pro à Pro and Rungis Express.
Glossary
Amfori Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI)
Founded in 2003, this global business association for open and sustainable trade works to ensure that production in all supplier countries complies with minimum social standards. The initiative aligns its standards with the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Glossary
Supply chain
Different processes that contribute to the added value of a company. At METRO, these include logistics, marketing and sales.
Glossary