Groupama signs a new agreement to promote the employment of disabled people

23 March 2010

Signed on 16 February 2010, this fifth collective agreement is evidence of the Group's proactive approach to the employment of disabled people.

On 16 February 2010, Groupama signed a fifth collective agreement to promote the employment of disabled people, demonstrating its commitment to make permanent the initiatives carried out by the Group’s companies in terms of hiring and retaining disabled people within Groupama.

The agreement, which came into force on 1st January 2010, paves the way for the development of a real “working life contract” for the Group’s disabled employees. It is accompanied by a three-year action plan (2010-2012) which commits the companies to achieving certain targets. The company must hire at least one disabled trainee per year, and subcontract from designated disability sectors (know in France as secteur adapté or secteur protégé), leading to at least one contract per year. Certain concrete measures, such as improving the accessibility of buildings and catering premises, as well as material support such as car sharing schemes, car parks and housing benefit must cater to the needs of disabled people.

The agreement is also innovative in:

  • the particularly comprehensive training and awareness section, aimed not only at the disabled people themselves but also those who work with disabled colleagues. Participants will accumulate 5 additional hours of personal training over a 2 year period.
  • recognition of a support role for employees who volunteer to help disabled colleagues
  • the assistance plan for employees who are parents of a disabled child or children and employees with a disabled spouse: the right to carry over from one year to the next a certain number of days’ leave to care for a disabled child when sick (up to a maximum of 16 days); the possibility of working on a flexitime or part-time basis; authorisation to take 2 days’ leave per year to perform administrative or medical procedures; paid family support leave.

Finally, a “diversity correspondent” appointed in each company is responsible for ensuring that the agreement of 16 February 2010 is applied and monitored at company level.

Groupama’s proactive approach to the employment of disabled people has already led to the recruitment of 400 disabled employees since 2003.  In accordance with the values upheld by the Group under the agreement of 24 October 2008 relating to Diversity and Equal Opportunities, the goal of the present agreement is to strengthen solidarity initiatives to benefit disabled people.