MONTREAL, May 26, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - After a process in
which SNC-Lavalin (TSX: SNC) has participated and collaborated, the
Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) announced today that a
settlement agreement was concluded with a group of 107 engineers
and former engineers of SNC-Lavalin and its subsidiaries. They were
targeted by investigations opened by the Office of the Syndic of
the OIQ in connection with political contributions made between
1998 and 2010. As provided in the agreement, an amount was paid to
the OIQ by this group of engineers, as an amount "in lieu of a
fine". As stipulated by the Professional Code, these settlements
are confidential.
"We are pleased that this settlement was concluded", stated
Neil Bruce, President and CEO. "This
agreement demonstrates, as the company frequently said, that
SNC-Lavalin has always been and remains willing to enter into
agreements about past issues."
SNC-Lavalin continues to work closely with its stakeholders to
ensure its business is conducted ethically. The company is
determined to set a new standard of ethics and governance in the
engineering and construction sector.
In 2012, SNC-Lavalin put in place its Policy on political
contributions. Here are the main points:
- Employees are prohibited from making political contributions on
behalf of SNC-Lavalin or in its name, or to use their position
within the company to solicit them for the benefit of any political
party or candidate in countries and regions where it is illegal to
do so. The policy was further updated in July 2014, to now prohibit such political
contributions on behalf of SNC-Lavalin even in regions or countries
where it is allowed by law, unless express permission is given by
three members of the senior management team.
- Employees may engage in political activities, or make political
contributions, in their own individual capacities, on their own
time and at their own expense. However, they may not use any
SNC-Lavalin resources, funds or other property to do so.
SNC-Lavalin will not reimburse or otherwise compensate an employee,
directly or indirectly, in any form, for political contributions
they make.
SNC-Lavalin has significantly toughened its ethics and
compliance program over the past few years. Its measures
include:
- implementation of a competitive practices policy;
- implementation of a duty to report procedure;
- appointment of compliance officers in every SNC-Lavalin
business unit;
- implementation of mandatory compliance training and annual
certification for all employees;
- continuous updates to our Code of Ethics, which is available in
many languages;
- implementation and tightening of a policy on political
contributions.
The company's ethics and compliance program, which is based on
international best practices, is divided into three categories:
prevent, detect and respond. The three categories consist of
actions to help ensure the company meets its commitment to ethics
and compliance. The list can be found here:
http://www.snclavalin.com/en/ethics-compliance/ethics-compliance-faq.aspx.
About SNC-Lavalin
Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is one of the leading engineering
and construction groups in the world and a major player in the
ownership of infrastructure. From offices in over 50 countries,
SNC-Lavalin's employees are proud to build what matters. Our teams
provide engineering, procurement, construction, completions and
commissioning services together with a range of sustaining capital
services to clients in four industry sectors, oil and gas, mining
and metallurgy, infrastructure and power. SNC-Lavalin can also
combine these services with its financing and operations and
maintenance capabilities to provide complete end-to-end project
solutions. www.snclavalin.com
SOURCE SNC-Lavalin