Initiative

Company agreement to support work-life balance

Summary of the initiative

Italy Volkswagen Group is a fully owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, based in Verona, which distributes Volkswagen, Skoda, Audi, SEAT and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The group has over 870 employees and more than 1,300 between dealers and service partners. Specific training to improve the quality of service and technical sales is offered to more than 15,000 employees spread across dealers and service partners. The main objective of Volkswagen Group Spa is to import cars, parts and accessories, and provide after-sales services for the brands represented, ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction and lasting strength the company and its partners in the distribution network.

The company agreement signed by Volkswagen in 2011 draws a new and innovative way in terms of labour relations, characterised by a principle of "active and participative contribution" of workers in the development process. The agreement is based on the guidelines of the "charter", the code of conduct for labour relations produced within the Council of Europe and the world Factory Volkswagen Group.

A Work-Family Reconciliation Commission is set up and focuses on issues of gender differences and equality of opportunities between men and women. There already existed a Commission for Equal Opportunities for several years, but now the prism expands to new forms of flexible working time, support programs for parents, telework and, in general, response planning in favour of a balance between the private and professional life of employees. In this regard, it is worth noting the increase of the fund established in 2006 to support the cost that employees face in nursery (there are currently 23 institutions affiliated with the Company).

Sharing and social cohesion are the cornerstones of this new agreement, which is part of the tradition of the Volkswagen Group. A good example is the additional three days of paid leave guaranteed to the father at the birth of the child. It also confirms the pragmatic view that the international trade union representatives and the company have.

The new agreement is innovative and is used to initiate a concrete process of evolution of labour relations, including participation. The almost unanimous approval by the workers (92% of voters) positively highlights the birth of a new model that takes the participation of workers themselves into account, through representative bodies.