BSN and the IUF:

• recalling the fundamental right of each employee to be represented and defended by the trade union organisation of his/her choice
• affirming that the counterweight represented by the trade union organisations contributes to the respect of the needs and aspirations of the workforce by the company executives
• mutually recognising the legitimacy of each party and their right to participate in the social as well as economic spheres, each mindful of their respective responsibilities as far as these conform with laws, collective agreements or other contractual agreement in effect;
• are convinced that reinforcing democratic forms of cooperation in the enterprise is the responsibility of both parties, and that this implies the recognition of divergent approaches and differences in judgement as well as the search for negotiated solutions;
• note that achieving this objective requires efforts to provide economic and social education and information to the entire workforce as well as their representatives to better understand the problems, the limitations faced by the company, and what it has at stake;

In this spirit., BSN and IUF undertake to:

1. Monitor proper compliance throughout all BSN subsidiaries with ILO conventions 87, 98, and 135, which concern respectively:

• the right of all employees to join the trade union organisation of their choice

• the right of all workers to be free from any act of discrimination leading to the restriction of trade union rights

• the protection of all worker representatives from all prejudicial measures, including firing, resulting from their status or activity as representatives of the workforce in accordance with the law, collective agreements, or other forms of contractual agreement in effect.

2. Encourage management and trade unions to negotiate agreements (concerning trade union rights) where possible for fixed durations, and to seek to publicise these agreements among the workforce to the widest possible extent.

3. Encourage management and employee representatives to negotiate and conclude agreements seeking to ensure that trade union and employee representatives benefit, with comparable ability, from the same opportunities of access to training, salary progression and promotion as other employees, and that the remainder of their professional development is taken care of when they decide to stand down from office.

Within the continuity of the BSN/IUF framework agreements (equality of mean and women, economic and social information, vocational training), BSN and IUF confirm that the process of informing and educating trade union and worker representatives should develop within each BSN subsidiary with the goal of ensuring effective implementation.