On 23 February 1999, an "action day" was organised across the European sites of Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch food, home and personal care products group. The aim was to highlight claims by trade union organisations and the workers' representatives on the multinational's European Works Council (EWC) about the detrimental impact of Unilever's rationalisation policy on employment, and the alleged non-observance of information and consultation rights enshrined in the EWC Directive.
A European day of action was organised in February 1999 by trade unions representing workers at Unilever. Unions were protesting against what they perceive as a lack of information and consultation prior to the recent closure of various of the company's European sites. Unions also sought to highlight the detrimental impact of Unilever's rationalisation policy on employment.
On 23 February 1999, an "action day" was organised across the European sites of Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch food, home and personal care products group. The aim was to highlight claims by trade union organisations and the workers' representatives on the multinational's European Works Council (EWC) about the detrimental impact of Unilever's rationalisation policy on employment, and the alleged non-observance of information and consultation rights enshrined in the EWC Directive.
The day of action involved the distribution of leaflets and the holding of protest meetings and rallies, while short work stoppages were expected to occur in a number of locations. The action was organised by European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers' Federation (EMCEF) and the European Federation of Food, Catering and Allied Workers' Unions (ECF-IUF), with support from the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the relevant International Trade Secretariats - the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) and the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF).
The unions sought to protest against, and draw attention to, the negative situation associated with the loss of employment, resulting from the closure of 57 sites, or 25% of Unilever's European operations, in the six years from 1991 to 1997. Many of the sites were highly profitable, it is claimed. Moreover, the unions allege that many of the closures were undertaken without any consultation and negotiation with national works councils and the EWC. The company's action is seen to contradict the strong emphasis of the European Union on employment creation, as well as allegedly undermining and breaching workers' rights to information and consultation.
Employee representatives on the Unilever EWC claim that greater care and respect is received by the shareholders than by the workers. Unilever's current actions are argued to be detrimental to employee morale, as there is considerable uncertainty and fear about the future.
The trade unions state that they do not oppose change, but demand full and timely consultation and negotiation. They recommend that Unilever must improve its performance and secure jobs through innovation and investment in research and people, rather than pursue its current policy of rationalisation. Employee representatives on the Unilever EWC state that the group's profit situation is excellent and that a great deal of its finances are being distributed to reserves: workers would rather see this money used to strengthen and expand the business, rather than increased restructuring and rationalisation. In the EWC's words, "you cannot grow by scaling down". In sum, the action day sought to highlight the perceived need to find a "better balance between economic efficiency and social responsibility".
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (1999), European trade union action day at Unilever, article.
