Rabobank agrees to partnership
with WWF
RABOBANK RENEWS
AGREEMENT WITH
EUROPEAN WORKS
COUNCIL
Global
Global
NEWS N
Johan van den Gronden (CEO WWF
Netherlands), Piet Moerland (Chairman o
Rabobank Netherlands), Anthony Burgm;
(Chairman SB WWF Netherlands) and Berr>
Marttin (Executive Board member of
Rabobank Group)
In October 2010, Rabobank and the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding to
explore the possibility of cooperation
between the two organisations. This
resulted in both parties signing a
worldwide partnership agreement
earlier this year. Rabobank Chairman Piet
Moerland believes the partnership will
contribute to the quality of Rabobank's
dialogue with clients in the area of
sustainability, both at home and abroad.
Piet Moerland: 'The WWF and Rabobank
both strive to achieve a sustainable
environment. We have already
demonstrated this
shared commitment
through our joint
participation in the
Dutch Greentech
Fund, through which
wemake equity
investments in
green innovative
companies, and
via the sounding
board role the WWF had in relation to
the formulation of Rabobank's Food
Agribusiness principles. This partnership
between a financial institution and a
NGO, with the aim of setting an example
for other participants in the production
chain with respect to the concrete effects of
sustainable enterprise in practice, is unique."
Rabobank signed a new agreement with the European Works
Council (EWC, formerly known as the European Works Group) in
May, following a change to the European Directive that covers
the set up of the Council. Sipko Schat, who signed the new
agreement with the EWC on behalf of Rabobank, said that the
new agreement underlines Rabobank's cooperation to promote
an atmosphere of openness in providing information about, and
discussing the position and development of, the business. All
with due consideration for the mutual interests of the employees
and our business.
According to Sipko Schat, the EWC should be considered as a
natural part of Rabobank's corporate culture that is based on
cooperation, dialogue and trust. Schat: "Moreover, Rabobank
management attachés great value to providing a stimulating
environment in which an open relationship with our employees
can develop and prosper."
Tanja van den Heuvel and Sipko Schat
'The EWC is not a new phenomenon, it has been operational
since 1999. We serve as an official discussion body that repre-
sents Rabobank International, ACC Bank Ireland, and Rabobank
subsidiaries' employees in the EU," said EWC Chairman Tanja
van den Heuvel after the signing. 'The Council helps to get
more insight into what is going on within our organisation and,
through dialogue with general management, ensures we are
consulted at an early stage. In this way, the workers' voice plays
an important role in the final decision making of the company
and supports changes and communication regarding the branch
offices."
ISSUE 28 AUGUST 2011 RI WORLD
