Foreword
Dialogue
Dialogue with employees
At all Bayer sites worldwide, employees have the right to elect their own representatives as called for by the United Nations Convention on Human Rights and the standards of the International Labor Orga-nization (ILO). Nonetheless, significant national and legal differences exist. For example, codetermination by the employees in the Supervisory Board and on the site works councils is legally required only in Germany. And while works councils in Germany are comprised exclusively of employees’ representatives, the councils in Belgium and France also include representatives of the employer.
Employees’ representatives: Pioneers of social dialogue in Europe
About 55 percent of our employees are based at sites located in the European Union. As early as 1991 – three years before the European Works Council Directive came into effect – Bayer AG’s management and Works Council established the Bayer European Forum, which met for the first time in 1992. This step made Bayer a pioneer of social dialogue in the European chemical industry. In October 1994 the Group Works Council and Bayer’s management signed an agreement to act on the recommendations of the European Works Council Directive. The Bayer European Forum is intended to foster dialogue among Bayer employees’ representatives themselves as well as with the company’s management. It is not intended for purposes of codetermination. Issues discussed at the Bayer European Forum include human resources policy, the company’s economic and financial performance and political issues. Through 2005, for example, the employees’ representatives at the Bayer European Forum had formulated three important declarations on the important issue of the E.U. Chemicals Policy.
Employees’ rights: Globally valid‚ labor standards established
At the end of 2005, the Forum had 82 delegates from 20 countries. Representatives of the employer are also among the members. The Chairman of the Board of Management and Labor Director of Bayer AG take part in the annual conference as well, giving this pan-European dialogue a high status within the company. This status is also reflected in the expansion of the organization: In 1997 a Joint Committee was established to function as a management body between the yearly conferences and to ensure that international themes are addressed during the year. A seminal role is played by the “social charter” adopted by the Bayer European Forum in 2002 that defines minimum social standards for Bayer Group employees worldwide. In this charter, Bayer undertakes to eliminate discrimination of any kind, support the advancement of employees and implement required restructuring measures in a socially responsible manner, among other objectives.
Managerial staff survey: Positive results
In October 2005 we conducted a survey of our managerial staff for the second time. More than 10,000 employees in all countries responded to the survey, which found that the overall mood in the company had improved markedly within the previous year and a half. The next managerial staff survey is planned for 2007.
Employees’ representatives: Pioneers of social dialogue in Europe
About 55 percent of our employees are based at sites located in the European Union. As early as 1991 – three years before the European Works Council Directive came into effect – Bayer AG’s management and Works Council established the Bayer European Forum, which met for the first time in 1992. This step made Bayer a pioneer of social dialogue in the European chemical industry. In October 1994 the Group Works Council and Bayer’s management signed an agreement to act on the recommendations of the European Works Council Directive. The Bayer European Forum is intended to foster dialogue among Bayer employees’ representatives themselves as well as with the company’s management. It is not intended for purposes of codetermination. Issues discussed at the Bayer European Forum include human resources policy, the company’s economic and financial performance and political issues. Through 2005, for example, the employees’ representatives at the Bayer European Forum had formulated three important declarations on the important issue of the E.U. Chemicals Policy.
Employees’ rights: Globally valid‚ labor standards established
At the end of 2005, the Forum had 82 delegates from 20 countries. Representatives of the employer are also among the members. The Chairman of the Board of Management and Labor Director of Bayer AG take part in the annual conference as well, giving this pan-European dialogue a high status within the company. This status is also reflected in the expansion of the organization: In 1997 a Joint Committee was established to function as a management body between the yearly conferences and to ensure that international themes are addressed during the year. A seminal role is played by the “social charter” adopted by the Bayer European Forum in 2002 that defines minimum social standards for Bayer Group employees worldwide. In this charter, Bayer undertakes to eliminate discrimination of any kind, support the advancement of employees and implement required restructuring measures in a socially responsible manner, among other objectives.
Managerial staff survey: Positive results
In October 2005 we conducted a survey of our managerial staff for the second time. More than 10,000 employees in all countries responded to the survey, which found that the overall mood in the company had improved markedly within the previous year and a half. The next managerial staff survey is planned for 2007.
Managerial Staff Survey
On a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), the surveyed managerial staff were able to give their opinion on the various questions. The decimal numbers in the scales represent the respective average values. The responses to the first two questions show a considerable improvement in the overall mood within the Bayer Group.
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