IN celebration of the 40th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade and to welcome inclusion and diversity in the workplace, employees across Svitzer Australia’s operations are wearing “Svitzer Pride” shirts on Friday 1 March.
A statement from the towage provider said, “While Sydney is home to just two of our 24 ports, we believe that everyone, no matter where they live, deserves to feel celebrated and included – which is why we’re celebrating Pride nationally this week”.
Svitzer is part of A.P. Møller – Maersk, which has been working to promote lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people.
According to the United Nations, violence and discrimination against LGBTQI people cannot be ended by governments alone. Businesses can foster diversity and promote a culture of respect and equality both in the workplace and in the communities where they and their business partners operate.
As part of A.P. Moller – Maersk’s strategy to increase diversity in the workplace, the company is reinforcing its existing commitment to the UN Global Compact by joining the UN’s LGBTI Standards for Business.
“Signing the UN standards means that we take responsibility as a company to help tackle a global problem and promote equality for LGBTI people,” Ulf Hahnemann, chief human resources officer of A.P. Moller – Maersk said. The UN standards are grounded in existing international human rights law and are in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The standards present measures that companies can take to make their policies and practices more inclusive for individuals making up the LGBTI spectrum.
