Unilever to allow its 3,000 employees to be conscripted to fight in Ukraine
Food giant Unilever has said it will allow its Russian staff to be conscripted into the war with Ukraine.
The firm, whose big brands range from Marmite to Cornetto ice creams and Dove soap, has faced criticism for continuing to operate in Russia, where it has around 3,000 employees.
In a letter to campaign group B4Ukraine, it said it was aware of the Russian law “requiring any company operating in Russia to permit the conscription of employees should they be called”.
Reginaldo Ecclissato, Unilever's chief business operations and supply chain officer, said the war in Ukraine was "a brutal, senseless act by the Russian state" but the firm would "always comply with all laws of the countries we operate in".
Ukrainian soldiers fire a Croatian RAK-SA-12 128mm multiple rocket launcher towards the Russian positions on the frontline near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region (AP)He added: "We continue to run our business in Russia in alignment with our global principles including the safety and wellbeing of our employees."
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The majority of its business in Russia is personal care and hygiene products but it continues to sell ice cream, he said.
Unilever and other Western companies have come under pressure to pull out of Russia since it invaded Ukraine.
It said this wasn't "straightforward" as its operations could be seized by the Russian state - and it doesn't want to abandon its employees.
Valeriia Voshchevska of the Ukraine Solidarity Project, said: “It’s jaw-dropping. When people see Unilever products in the shops – like Hellman’s Mayonnaise, Marmite, Magnum and Dove – they now know that this company is prepared to conscript thousands of its workers for Russia’s war effort."
She added: "If this is protecting your workers, I'd hate to see what putting them in harm's way looks like."
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