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6 January, 2026Around 20 trade union representatives from Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, India, Tanzania and Morocco gathered in Paris on 9–10 December 2025 for the Saint-Gobain global union network meeting. The meeting was organized by IndustriALL and hosted by French affiliate CGT Verre Céramique.
Against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty and accelerating technological change, the meeting offered a space for affiliates to exchange experiences, assess developments within Saint-Gobain and prepare coordinated trade union responses to ongoing transformation affecting workers across the group.
Union delegates received updates from employee representatives and experts on the current situation within Saint-Gobain, with particular attention to restructuring processes taking place in several countries. Serious concerns were raised about job insecurity, workforce reductions and the growing use of precarious employment contracts. Participants underlined that these developments are being felt unevenly across regions, often introduced without sufficient consultation or transparency, undermining trust and social dialogue.
The discussions highlighted the importance of stronger international coordination to ensure that workers, regardless of location, are not left to face restructuring and uncertainty alone.
Digitalization and Industry 4.0 emerged as a central theme throughout the two days. Trade union representatives shared feedback from a global questionnaire, which revealed widespread uncertainty and anxiety among workers regarding automation, artificial intelligence and digital transformation projects.
Delegates stressed that digitalization must not result in work intensification, burnout or hidden job losses. They called for trade unions to be involved early and meaningfully at every stage of digital projects, so that technological change supports decent work rather than eroding working conditions.
Health, safety and wellbeing were also high on the agenda. While acknowledging Saint-Gobain’s public commitments and initiatives such as CARE by Saint-Gobain, delegates reported uneven implementation and access across countries. Concerns were raised about the reliability of health and safety data, the reported rise in workplace accidents and insufficient prevention measures, particularly in high-risk environments.
Participants emphasised that commitments on paper must translate into concrete, measurable improvements for workers on the ground, everywhere the group operates.
During the exchange with management, trade union representatives also raised concerns about the Oxygen project, a company-wide transformation initiative at Saint-Gobain. Oxygen is a new software system intended to centralise and manage processes such as invoicing and customer files. The project is currently being rolled out as a pilot in Belgium, while several other countries have already been informed ahead of possible deployment. Trade unions reported significant criticism from workers in Belgium regarding the project’s effectiveness, reinforcing the need for early consultation, transparency and meaningful social dialogue before any wider implementation.
Concluding the meeting, Alexander Ivanou, director of materials at IndustriALL underlined the growing strength of the network:
“Saint-Gobain Global Union Network is evolving and new countries joined our ranks this year, this is a very good indication of our growth. We need to continue strengthening our international coordination, defend social dialogue and ensure that Saint-Gobain’s transformation is based on respect for workers’ rights, decent work, health and safety and a just transition for all employees worldwide.”
As Saint-Gobain continues to transform, the Paris meeting showed the determination of trade unions to stand together across borders, ensuring that workers’ voices remain central in shaping the future of the company.