Social Partnership

Agreements signed

The members, chairwoman and vice-chairwoman of the staff committee elected at the most recent election assumed their duties for the 2020-2023 term of office as of 1 January 2020.

• The agreement concerning simplified recording of working hours, which entered into force on 1 April 2016, was formally confirmed at the annual review and will be continued.
  
• In 2020, the staff committee participated in pilot workshops on “Diversity & Inclusion”. Overall, the staff committee was involved in all the topics set forth in the regulations. An intensive dialogue took place between employee and employer representatives, particularly with regard to the current Covid-19 pandemic.
  
• As part of the 2021 salary review, the staff committee will make a formal application to the Executive Board for a salary increase.
  
• At the inaugural meeting in spring 2020, the committee (one person per country) and the representatives – through the countries in the European Works Council – were newly defined.
  
• In 2020, the staff committee answered around 280 enquiries from employees.

Number of works council members, dispensation for committee work and area of responsibility

Nine members; the chairwoman enjoys up to 20% work dispensation for work on the staff committee, the vice chairwoman up to 15% and the members up to 10%.

Agreements signed

The Works Council performs its duties in accordance with the local Works Constitution Act. To meet local requirements, various constructive works agreements have been concluded with management.

• A works agreement on mobile working was concluded shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic, which proved to be a solid basis for the challenges of the first lockdown phase in spring 2020.
• An agreement setting out comprehensive measures to support employees during the corona restrictions was concluded in good time. Among other things, this covered an extension of the working time corridors and a flexible handling of home schooling requirements). To this end, the Works Council launched a holiday fundraising campaign and successfully distributed more than 50 days of donated leave to colleagues in support of childcare or home care.
• In cooperation with the HR department, in occupational health management, the focus has returned to resilience and mental stress at the workplace.
• An agreement on an increase in base salaries in 2020 and 2021 for non-pay-scale employees was reached with the Executive Board in the spring.
  

• The Central Works Council as the overarching body of all operations consists of five persons (two representatives of Works Council Internal Services, two representatives of Works Council Sales Force, one representative of the severely handicapped). The Central Works Council chair is also chair of the Works Council Internal Services, a member of the Business Committee and spokesperson for the European Works Council of Swiss Life Ltd.
• The Works Council Internal Services (responsible for the German branch in Garching as well as Swiss Life Partner Service- und Finanzvermittlungs GmbH and SLPM Schweizer Leben PensionsManagement GmbH) is composed as follows:
• Eleven members, of whom the Works Council chair with 100% work dispensation for Works Council activities.
• The Works Council Sales Force is responsible for intermediary distribution at the branch office and comprises three people, none of whom has dispensation.
  

Collective bargaining agreements

47% of employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

Agreements signed

Interim agreement during the project phase for the introduction of the “Workday” personnel management system; Group works agreement on occupational pension provision.

Number of works council members, dispensation for committee work and area of responsibility

The members of the Works Council representing CORPUS SIREO Real Estate GmbH and Swiss Life Invest GmbH established a Group Works Council (KBR) on 29 October 2019. It consists of four members of the Works Council (one part-time, three full-time); the chairwoman, who has a part-time role, is exempted from regular work. In connection with the establishment of Swiss Life Investment Management Deutschland Holding GmbH, the objective of the KBR is to define cross-company topics.
The Group Works Council has four members, who are appointed by the above Works Councils. One member of the Works Council at Corpus Sireo with 100% dispensation, is also a member of the European Works Council. All other members work without dispensation. The Group works agreements are relevant for all employees of Swiss Life Asset Managers in Germany in accordance with the particular agreement’s scope of application.

Agreements signed

• Calculation of variable compensation (bonus) for 2019
• Basic salary adjustment process for non-management, non-pay-scale employees as at 1 April 2019
• Supplement to Annex 1 to the IT Framework Agreement

Number of works council members, dispensation for committee work and area of responsibility

The Works Council of Swiss Life Asset Management GmbH and Swiss Life Invest GmbH consists of three members, all of whom work full-time (38 hours/week). All members work without dispensation. The Works Agreements apply to around 81% of all employees of these companies.

Collective bargaining agreements/Works agreements

26% of employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Works agreements apply to 81% of the employees.

Agreements signed

• Regulation concerning working hours at Corpus Sireo
• Arrangements concerning working time regulations from old contracts prior to 1 July 2017
• Mobile working
• Agreement on supplementary framework conditions for employment relationships at Corpus Sireo
• Voluntary social security benefits – Spendit Card
• Project time recording
• Deployment and use of the “Competence Booster” training platform at Corpus Sireo
• A company framework agreement on IT
  

Number of works council members, dispensation for committee work and area of responsibility

The committee currently consists of five members (one part-time, four full-time). Of these, the part-time employee enjoys full work dispensation for Works Council activities and two of the other members are each entitled to 50% dispensation.

Works agreements

98% of employees are subject to a Works Agreement.

Agreements signed

Following the elections of March 2019, the newly elected staff committee took up its duties in April 2020.

• The new staff committee is continuing to concentrate on its key role of facilitating the flow of information between staff and management in order to avoid potential conflicts.
• Ensuring appropriate investment in the retraining of insurance workers and adapting skills to future workplace demands
• In addition, one employee representative assumes responsibility for reviewing “equal opportunities” (including gender aspects) and one other person is responsible for the topic of “safety and wellbeing”.
  

Number of works council members, dispensation for committee work and area of responsibility

Number of Works Council members broken down by full-time and part-time The number of employee representatives and the time required for their work are directly proportional to the number of employees. In the Global Solutions area in Luxembourg, employee representation consists of five ordinary representatives and five deputies. The employee representatives are entitled to devote 16 hours a week to exercising their mandate.
The Swiss Life Products (Luxembourg) S.A. team has reached the threshold of 15 employees and thus elected its own employee representation in 2019.
Luxembourg) S.A. and Swiss Life Products (Luxembourg) S.A. are subject to a new collective bargaining agreement for the insurance sector. The new contract, which was concluded between the social partners and the insurance sector ("Association des Comagnies d'Assurance"), entered into force on 1 January 2021 and is identical to the previous one.

Collective bargaining agreements

63% of employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement.