Unite calls on Unilever to address its corporate social
responsibilities
13th May 2009
Unite the union has today (Wednesday 13th May) warned Unilever
that it must address its corporate social responsibilities in
relation to its workforce.
On the day of the company's annual general meeting in London the
union is highlighting to shareholders that the treatment of workers
at the Lipton tea plant in Pakistan is a betrayal of the company’s
claim to be a responsible employer.
Jennie Formby, Unite national secretary, said: “Unilever employs
thousands of people across the world, but the treatment of its
Pakistani workforce is totally unacceptable. Unite is calling on
the shareholders to put a stop to the current practice of using
disposable, insecure labour at the Lipton tea factory.
“Unite has written to the Unilever chief executive condemning
the company's employment practices in Pakistan, as the company
continues to grow in sales and profitability. The union is calling
for Unilever to put an end to the use of over 700 agency employees
who have no employment security and inferior wages and benefits to
the directly employed employees. These workers must be brought back
on to Unilever contracts.
“Shareholders must stand up and demonstrate their opposition to
the policy of ‘no work – no pay’ which means that every day
hundreds of workers are locked into poverty.”
Unite, with 3,000 members across Unilever’s nine UK plants
making household names like Marmite, Pot Noodle and PG Tips, is
joining the international protests coordinated by the IUF that have
been gaining momentum over recent months, and thousands of
postcards protesting against Unilever’s unacceptable behaviour have
been sent to Paul Polman, Unilever CEO by UK Unilever
employees.
The union is appalled that Unilever has outsourced 10,000 jobs
since 2007, with a further 10,000 planned by the end of 2010.
ENDS
For more information contact: Saba Mozakka, Unite the union at:
020 7420 8916 or 07768 693 953.
Find out more on the IUF campaign at http://www.iuf.org/casualtea/
and at http://www.unileverwatch.org/
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