Read the joint statement issued by the German NCPs and the parties concluding the specific instance - January 2014
In November 2012 the German NCP received a request for review from two trade unions alleging that a German multinational enterprise had breached the employment and industrial relations, and human rights provisions of the Guidelines in various countries. The trade unions' main assertions were that the company had not respected the rights of workers to establish and join trade unions in several of the countries in which it operates and that its due diligence procedures were insufficient to respect these rights.
The NCP undertook and initial assessment and concluded that the request merited further consideration regarding the possible disrespect of the workers' rights to establish and join trade unions in Turkey, India, Colombia, Indonesia and Vietnam. Mediation meetings with both the parties were held in September and December 2013. The parties co-operated in discussions and information sharing in the complex case and, as a result, a joint final statement was agreed and published in January 2014. The parties agreed, that by means of the mediation process at the NCP the alleged complaints have been clarified or can be resolved by further bilateral dialogue. The NCP duly concluded the specific instance.
As agreed in the 2014 joint final statement, the NCP received reports on meetings between the Parties. The Parties have since signed a total of three cooperation protocols. The first was signed in 2016 committing to continuous dialogue. This protocol was renewed in 2019. It was again renewed and further strengthened in 2022, now also encompassing a joint work plan. The NCP signed these protocols and welcomes the continued cooperation between the Parties.