Social Dialogue

Generali recognises the role of trade unions, collective bargaining, and workers’ representation in fostering a fair and inclusive working environment and in ensuring responsible and sustainable business development.

The Group promotes transparent and structured engagement across its entities through dialogue mechanisms established both locally and transnationally. These provide a consistent framework to address organisational changes and workforce matters, as well as emerging topics affecting employment and working conditions.

Generali promotes a model of social dialogue based on cooperation, transparency, and mutual respect throughout the Group. This includes recognition of employees’ rights to join trade unions, elect workers’ representatives, and engage in collective bargaining, in compliance with European and international frameworks, as well as with local laws, practices, and cultural contexts.

Social dialogue is a fundamental lever of the Group’s sustainable and socially responsible business development, as recognised by the Generali Group European Social Charter.

Local employee representatives are informed about significant organisational changes in line with the timelines established by local regulations and practices.

Globally, collective bargaining agreements cover 68.0% of Group employees, rising to 88.1% in the European Economic Area (EEA). Workers’ representatives cover 95.4% of employees across the EEA.

Generali established its European Works Council (EWC) in 1997, as part of its commitment to social dialogue within the countries of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA), in compliance with the relevant EU Directive and applicable Community‑scale procedures. It is the only Group body representing Generali employees at European level.

Social dialogue with the EWC is governed by a specific Company agreement at European level, which regulates its composition, functions, meetings, and scope of activities. It is composed of 45 delegates representing 21 countries in the EU and EEA and covers approximately 73.4% of Group employees. To strengthen coordination, the EWC elects a Select Committee composed of 8 representatives, including a Secretary and a Deputy Secretary. Continuous dialogue between the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, the EWC Select Committee, and the Group is supported by a dedicated function, the EWC Relations & Labour Network, established at Group Head Office.

The EWC ensures its delegates are informed and consulted on transnational matters that may have a significant impact on employees. Whenever transnational projects or initiatives that may significantly affect the interests of employees are envisaged – such as reorganisations, relocations, business or site closures, or restructuring measures involving potential headcount reductions – an information and consultation process with the EWC is activated. This process ensures that potential impacts on employment and job levels are assessed and managed responsibly, in accordance with the Group European Social Charter and applicable EU and national legal frameworks. As a first step, the Company provides the EWC with timely, complete, and relevant information. A consultation phase may then follow, during which the EWC may issue an opinion to which the Company can formally respond. In particular, for relocations, closures of companies or plants, or collective redundancies, the EWC Agreement requires that information be shared with European‑level employee representatives in due time, with the possibility – upon request – to initiate a consultation.

Each year around ten meetings are held, accounting for more than twenty days of dialogue between the EWC and Group Management. These include three Select Committee meetings and two plenary sessions, one of which is dedicated to training and typically takes place in November. In addition, further meetings may be held onsite, in a hybrid format, or remotely.

The Group Chief People and Organization Officer and the EWC Relations & Labour Network participate in all ordinary meetings and plenary sessions. One plenary session, held mid-year, is also attended by the Group Top Management.

The Group shares strategic issues with the EWC, including new forms of work organisation linked to technological, digital, and artificial intelligence–driven transformation. These topics are addressed through both formal sessions and dedicated working groups.

In exceptional circumstances, involving transnational measures with a significant impact on the interests of employees in at least two countries, extraordinary meetings may be convened to implement the process of information and consultation.

Generally, the agenda for the ordinary meetings set out in the agreement is defined by the Parent Company in coordination with the Secretary of the EWC, who may also propose additional items for discussion. The agenda systematically includes updates on specific matters of interest to the EWC, with particular attention to human resources-related topics.

The Parent Company has adopted the Generali Group European Social Charter, in alignment with the Group Code of Conduct and recognising the central role of social dialogue, while taking into account local regulations in all countries where the Group operates. It was submitted by Group Management to the EWC Select Committee on 28 November 2006 and subsequently distributed across all European Group entities. It is also aligned with key international labour standards, including the ILO Conventions and the UN Global Compact.

The Charter outlines key principles, including:

• respect for the fundamental rights of staff members;
• support for dialogue between Management and workers’ representatives at all levels;
• the development of strategies to manage and protect jobs, including retraining and development of human resources;
• respect for workers’ trade union and representation rights, including the right to perform their duties.

Within the Chapter “Aims”, the Charter recognises: “trade-union rights (i.e. the right of collective bargaining) and freedom of assembly for workers’ representatives in compliance with the rules and regulations in force in the different countries where the Group companies operate”.

The European Social Charter reaffirms the Group’s commitment to the protection and development of its People, promoting both personal and professional growth and equal opportunities.

The Charter is referenced in the current EWC Agreement and is available to all employees across the Group.

Since 2017, social dialogue with the EWC has led to the signing of several Joint Declarations, setting out non-binding principles and objectives that countries and Business Units can implement at the local level, in line with Generali’s sustainable and socially responsible approach. These are non-binding agreements signed by Group Management, headed by the Group Chief People & Organization Officer, and the EWC Select Committee. These declarations reflect a shared commitment, among other topics, to equal opportunities, digital evolution (Artificial Intelligence), and sustainable work organisation models based on trust and work-life balance. The signing of these joint declarations reflects the strong culture of cooperation and mutual respect that characterises the relationship between Generali and the EWC.