Blog: Christmas is cancelled for Unilever workers

Katie Smith | 9 December 2011

Christmas looks to be cancelled for Unilever workers this year following today's (9 December) strike action.

Unite said Unilever have cancelled the Christmas party at the company's Port Sunlight facility and refused to give out Christmas hampers and gift vouchers to staff. The company has even banned workers from booking holidays in the new year, the union claimed.
 
"Rather than sitting down with the unions and trying to settle this dispute, Unilever are instead are acting like a modern day scrooge. The company is trying to bully its workers into submission through petty and vindictive actions," Unite national officer Jennie Formby said.

Unilever said it would be "inappropriate" to provide Christmas hampers or gift vouchers to our employees at the sites where industrial action is taking place. 

"Instead we have committed to donating these to one of our national charity partners, FareShare," a Unilever spokesperson told just-food this afternoon.

Meanwhile, a spoksperson for Unite said today's strike had "solid support across the 12 sites". When asked whether there are any more planned, he said the union wants Unilever to "come back to the negotiating table".