Trade unions have secured an agreement with Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever that commits the company to respect trade union rights.
A Memorandum signed by Unilever’s chief executive officer Paul Polman and the general secretaries of IndustriAll Global Union and International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers, in London on 31 October, provides for the establishment of a permanent platform to guarantee that workers can freely exercise their rights, including their rights to union membership and collective bargaining, without fear of retaliation, repression or any other form of discrimination. The company is committed to ensuring such rights are respected throughout the supply chain.
The Memorandum is the product of a dialogue that has been going on between management and unions since 2010. Said IUF General Secretary Sue Longley: “We look forward to deepening our engagement. Now that the process has been formalised we need to continue working together to ensure that the principles set out in the Memorandum are firmly anchored throughout Unilever’s operations.”