Global Food Service Giant Sodexo Under Scrutiny by Workers and Unions in Six Countries

PARIS, July 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Scrutiny of Sodexo's efforts in the United States and Colombia to stop workers from forming a union and reports of substandard working conditions in those countries has expanded to unions in six countries. Workers and union leaders from the CGT and CFDT in France, UNISON and Unite in England, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in the United States, SINALTRAINAL in Colombia, Tek Gida in Turkey and Fentiabehta in the Dominican Republic vowed to step up the campaign for a global agreement that guarantees the rights of Sodexo workers to form a union and improve their working conditions.

Despite making more than a billion dollars profit in 2009, and being the 22nd largest corporation in the world, Sodexo pays its workers in the United States as little as $7.50 an hour and does not offer affordable healthcare options to its food service and similar employees. Two-thirds of Sodexo's nonmanagerial employees in the United States do not have coverage under the medical insurance plans offered by the company.

Today's action comes after the coalition of unions have repeatedly called on Sodexo to sign a global agreement that protects the rights of workers globally to form a union. In France, CGT and the CFDT at the Sodexo Group Works Council delivered a joint declaration during their annual meeting June 30 that once again called on the company to protect the rights of their workers to form a union and reiterated their solidarity with Sodexo workers worldwide who face anti-union intimidation.

After hearing testimony from workers about anti-union activity by Sodexo and substandard working conditions, Enrique Cuevas, CFDT Services Federal secretary, said, "I am deeply shocked at the obvious inequalities and lack of trade union and social rights of Sodexo workers in the United States and Colombia. It is urgent that the directorate-general of Sodexo respects workers' choice to unionize as well as the commitments it has taken in this regard through its human rights policy."

"We are determined to continue our mobilizations and actions in order to ensure that workers from Sodexo are treated with dignity and respect," says Jean-Michel Dupire, a representative from the CGT.

SOURCE Service Employees International Union