Unilever workers stage pensions demo
Food and household goods giant, Unilever intends to transfer its UK workforce to the ''career average revalued earnings' (CARE) scheme from January 2012.
Unite represents 1,740 Unilever workers in the UK, and the union said that staff from the firm’s Port Sunlight factory, Port Sunlight research and development and Warrington plant would demonstrate in Warrington town centre.
The union's national officer for food and drink, Jennie Formby said: "Our members on all Unilever sites are furious at the planned attacks on their pensions. Unilever is a very profitable and successful company to which the workforce has richly contributed over many years.
"With annual UK sales of nearly €2.5bn, this is a company that can well afford a final salary pension scheme. In 2008 changes were made to the pension scheme that our members were promised made it safe for the future, yet just three short years later, management want to do more to drive down the cost of providing pensions."
Unilever said when it announced the changes in mid-April that they were necessary to ensure the “long-term financial sustainability and … competitiveness of the business in the UK”.
