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Spirited Rotterdam Rally Calls on Unilever to Save UK Pensions

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16 February, 2012

Some 250 European trade union militants turned out today at Unilever's Rotterdam headquarters in the Netherlands to protest the world's third largest consumer products company's unrelenting shut-off of a final salary pension scheme for 5,200 UK workers.

The manifestation, under the banner “Unilever, Don’t Make Workers Pay for Your Profits”, saw representatives from no less than 23 European trade union organisations, as well as from the ICEM and the International Union of Food and Agriculture Workers' Association (IUF).

For three months now, Unilever has been trying to bully UK's Unite the Union, GMB, and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) into conceding a final salary pension scheme, to replace it with an average career earnings pension plan effective 1 July 2012. Unilever CEO Paul Polman’s 2010-11 salary and bonus pay-out equaled €8 million, while Unilever’s UK employees face a slash of between 20-40% on their pension earnings.

At today's manifestation, led by Unilever's European Works Council (EWC), the European Mine, Chemical, Energy Federation (EMCEF), and the European Federation of Food, Agriculture, Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT), rally leaders presented Unilever executive Rupert Chatwin with a declaration.

In part, it read: "We are very concerned that Unilever has been pursuing an approach of uncompromising unilateralism in the UK, which may be indicative of a change for the worse in Unilever's corporate culture.

"We believe that Unilever workers in Europe and around the world have good reason to fear for their futures. We have noted (CEO) Paul Polman's pledge to double Unilever revenue over the next ten years while promoting 'sustainable living' but that he says nothing about sustainable employment."

Rally leaders present Declaration
From left, Michael Wolters, Simon Cox, Unilever's Rupert Chatwin

Unilever EWC Chairman Hermann Soggeberg told the gathering, including scores of the company's UK staff, that on behalf of 30,000 European workers, "We stand by your side in this dispute. You are on the front lines of what is just the beginning of bigger problems facing workers in Western Europe.

"The struggle you face in the UK is a struggle we must all tie into."

Other speakers included EMCEF General Secretary Michael Wolters, EFFAT EWC and Transnational Companies' Coordinator Simon Cox, as well as Unite Convenor Bill Hodgson from Unilever's Port Sunlight plant.

Among some of the unions taking part: FNV Bondgenoten of the Netherlands, IGBCE of Germany, PRO-GE of Austria, FGA-CFDT of France, NGG of Germany, Petrol-Is of Turkey, FGTA-FO of France, FITAG-UGT of Spain, CGT of France, FLAI-CGIL, FAI-CISL and UILA-UIL, all of Italy, CNV of the Netherlands, and FGTB/ABVV of Belgium.

    

The Rotterdam manifestation comes just days two weeks after Unilever posted a strong set of financial numbers in its latest results and three weeks after UK workers from several Unilever sites descended on Davos, Switzerland, where Polman served as one of the co-chairs at the World Economic Forum.

Unilever UK management did finally agree to meet with the unions on 9 February with the assistance of UK’s Advisory, Conciliation and Mediation Services (ACAS), but the company is still adamant on closing the final salary pension scheme effective 1 July 2012.