As of today, Suez offers to reinforce support measures and to provide additional financial resources to fight Covid-19 involving all its stakeholders – clients, employees, suppliers, managers, shareholders.
➢ Support of employees who have been placed on partial unemployment.
➢ Donation of a quarter of the Chief Executive Officer and Comex salaries towards initiatives to fight Covid-19 during the lockdown period.
➢ A reduction of the dividend of almost a third to 0.45€ per share, proposed to the general assembly.
For all its clients, since the virus appeared in January, SUEZ has been greatly mobilized across the world to help all our customers, large, small, private individuals and industries, around its missions: water treatment and distribution, waste collection and recovery. Responsible for providing essential services, SUEZ plays a key role in public health, with the help of its partners.
The Group wishes to warmly thank its employees for their daily commitment, essential to provide its missions and to ensure business continuity.
All employees who during this period have been placed on partial unemployment will be duly compensated in accordance with the SUEZ social policies applicable in their country, or receive at least 50% of their salary in countries without an adequate social system.
In France, SUEZ will provide a net €1,000 bonus to all teams on the ground who have been mobilized in order to ensure business continuity. Furthermore, employees who have been placed on partial unemployment will receive their salary in full. Finally, the profit-sharing will be paid as per initial schedule.
As a measure of solidarity, the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Committee members have decided to donate 25% of their salaries during the lockdown period. The donations will be provided via the SUEZ Foundation to the Institut Pasteur and to Unicef to finance research and provide support of healthcare workers during the crisis. In addition, the SUEZ Foundation will allocate significant part of its budget to Covid-19 support measures.
In order to contribute to these solidarity measures, which are at the heart of SUEZ mission, the Board of Directors calls on its shareholders to adopt during the upcoming General Assembly a proposition of a dividend of 0.45€ per share, a reduction of around a third compared to previous fiscal year.
Bertrand Camus, SUEZ CEO, stated: “SUEZ is currently mobilized to provide our customers with essential services during the global sanitary crisis. Due to its geographical span and scope, and thanks to the solidity of its balance sheet, the Group can set up solidarity contributions in addition to its operational commitment. We are preparing for tomorrow, today.”