R-600-001 Annex III Equality Commission Rules of Procedure
- Governed by
GP-600 Equality Planning
These Rules of Procedure regulate the internal functioning of both the Permanent Commission and the Monitoring Commission for the Equality Plan, constituted in compliance with Ley Orgánica 3/2007.
Given the number of employees in the organisation, both the Permanent Commission and the Monitoring Commission are formed by the same representation without the formalities otherwise established by law.
Declaration of intent and mission
The creation of the Equality Commission responds both to the requirements and provisions of the LOI and to the firm will of its members to reach an agreement on the development, implementation, and oversight of the Equality Plan. The Commission must safeguard the principle of equal opportunities and treatment between women and men and non-discrimination within the company, and must propose and carry forward measures aimed at promoting effective equality in all areas of the company where necessary.
Composition
The Equality Commission is composed of 2 members from the management body (JD-001 and JD-006) and 2 members representing the workers (JD-003 and JD-012), in compliance with the parity requirement of Real Decreto 901/2020 Art. 5.
The Commission may seek external advice.
Competencies
The Equality Commission is responsible for the tasks entrusted by Ley Orgánica 3/2007 and has the following functions:
- Analysis of data provided for the prior diagnostic and formulation of improvement proposals and recommendations
- Contribution of new initiatives, measures, or actions for the Equality Plan
- Monitoring, control, and evaluation of the implementation of the planned measures
- Assessment of the Plan's effects on the company, comparing the diagnostic situation with the current one, and evaluating whether actions are being carried out according to the planned schedule
- Identification of problems and handling of queries and complaints from staff, seeking and proposing solutions
- Promotion of the dissemination among staff of the Commission's agreements, as well as monitoring the plan's evolution, through training, information, and awareness-raising actions
- Collection and assessment of all proposals, initiatives, and opinions contributed by staff
During the monitoring phase, information shall be gathered on: results obtained from Plan execution, degree of action execution, conclusions and reflections from monitoring data analysis, and identification of the need for future actions.
Meetings and agenda
- The Equality Commission shall meet at least 2 times per year on an ordinary basis. Extraordinary meetings may be held at the initiative of either party, with prior written communication indicating the items on the agenda
- The Commission may adopt agreements and measures on any equality-related matter in these meetings
- The agenda for ordinary meetings shall be prepared by the Equality Commission
- For extraordinary meetings, the agenda shall be set by the requesting party
- External advisors or union representatives may attend meetings with voice but without vote, limited to two persons maximum
- Minutes shall be prepared for each meeting, recording all agreements adopted, to be approved and signed at the subsequent meeting
- All agreements reached shall be communicated to all workers through documents made available in the accessible repository, with updates communicated via internal email
Functioning
- The President's functions are those proper to the position; the President represents the Commission before any public or business entity
- The Secretary's functions include preparing minutes of all meetings, drafting convocations, and organising agendas
- These officers may not, under any circumstances, take decisions that alter, modify, or affect workers' interests without first consulting the majority of Commission members
- The positions of President and Secretary may be revoked by absolute majority vote of Commission members. The Secretary and Presidency shall alternate annually between the workers' side and the management side
- All notifications between the company and the Commission shall be made in writing
- In urgent cases, verbal communication through the President and Secretary is permitted, who shall convey the information to the rest of the Commission
- Agreements shall be approved by absolute majority of the Equality Commission members (except for agreements on harassment matters, which shall be governed by the Anti-Harassment Protocol)
- If an exceptional equality-related matter requiring greater dedication arises, it shall be raised to management to determine appropriate arrangements
- The time allowance for receiving equality training is limited to 30 hours per year, delivered through the company's established channels
- If training benefits the Commission members, it shall be at the company's expense; if for personal and individual benefit, it shall be at the individual's own expense
Duty of confidentiality
All members of the Equality Commission commit to treating with due and required confidentiality all information, data, documents, and/or any other information used within the Commission or provided to them.
Domicile for notifications
The registered address for notifications is: Gran Vía 1, Bat Tower, 48001 Bilbao, Bizkaia.