Labor Rights

OMV respects and supports human rights as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in internationally recognized treaties, including those of the International Labour Organization (ILO). This includes a commitment to upholding labor rights, including decent wages, working hours, employee representation, and provisions against forced labor, child labor, and human trafficking. We support the “four fundamental principles and rights at work” outlined in the ILO Declaration:

• Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
• The elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor
• The effective abolition of child labor
• The elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation

The rights and obligations of our employees are set out in employment contracts. The vast majority of our employees, i.e., 96.4% (2019: 98.9%), have the right to exercise their freedom of association and collective bargaining. For more details on collective bargaining, see Workforce Data.

We are committed to respecting workers’ rights, in line with the International Labour Organization Core Conventions on Rights at Work and we expect our contractors, suppliers, and joint ventures we participate in to do the same. Employee representation is a valued and long-standing feature in the Company’s strategic orientation. Where legally required, employee representatives are afforded information and consultation rights.

Part-time work is offered as a signal of flexibility, but some jurisdictions where we operate also stipulate a legal entitlement to part-time work. In general, our part-time employment contracts mainly reflect reduced working hours without significantly limiting the benefits not related to working time.

We offer our employees various channels for bringing forward issues, concerns, and grievances. This includes PetrOmbudsman at OMV Petrom, where employees and management can have confidential, off-the-record, informal discussions and address issues related to the workplace. Moreover, employees can bring forward their concerns in direct dialogue with human rights managers, human resources business partners, and works council members.