Employment
On December 31, 2010, the Daimler Group employed 260,100 men and women worldwide. This was 3,693 more employees than on the same date in 2009. The increase was due to two factors: Jobs were created at the consolidated Group — in particular at companies incorporated into Mercedes-Benz Cars and the sales organization. In addition, it was necessary to increase personnel numbers in order to meet rising demand.
In 2008 and 2009 we had to react to a decline in demand by depleting work-time accounts and reducing the number of temporary workers. We also had to implement additional measures, including short-time work arrangements. Demand has noticeably increased since then, which is why we were able to discontinue short-time work at our passenger car and commercial vehicle units alike. As a result, no Daimler employees were subject to short-time work schemes at the end of 2010 (2009: 27,498), nor were any employees affected by reduced working hours (2009: 86,992).
Collective bargaining agreements apply to more than 90 percent of the employees in Germany (Group). Some Group companies are not subject to collective bargaining agreements. In Germany, the Works Council Constitution Act (BetrVG) stipulates that works councils have considerable influence on decisions even on behalf of employees who are not covered by collective bargaining agreements — for example, regarding salaries and wages as well as issues related to company agreements.
Daimler maintains close cooperation with employee representatives in works councils and trade unions. The main cooperation bodies here are the World Employee Committee (WEC), which was formed in 2002, and the European Works Council, which dates back to 1996. At the company level, employee interests are represented by ten Supervisory Board members in accordance with German law. Since 2009, a representative of the General Works Council has been providing support for the HR CSR Committee that was created in the HR department.
Daimler recognizes the right of workers to organize themselves in trade unions in accordance with the labor laws of each country it operates in. The Group also ensures that freedom of association is guaranteed at its facilities, even in countries that do not explicitly guarantee this freedom. This is laid out in our Principles of Social Responsibility, which include all ten principles of the Global Compact.
Daimler reports regularly to the WEC on any violations of these principles. In 2008 we restructured the procedure for dealing with complaints regarding violations of the principles, and we also redefined the areas of responsibility within the Purchasing department. If any of our business partners violate our principles, we inform them accordingly. We also expect our business partners to implement similar principles of social responsibility.
The company is required to inform the Works Council about all significant operational changes. In accordance with specific thresholds defined by law or the German Labor Relations Act, the company must negotiate an agreement with the Works Council that addresses the effects of operational changes. Daimler employees are also promptly informed (via internal communication media) about significant operational changes. In addition, the company informs the various employee representative bodies at the Group and the company levels (Group Joint Management-Employee Economic Committee, WEC) about the economic situation and important changes within the Group and at Group companies
