- Written by Tom Espiner
- Business Correspondent, BBC News
image source, Getty Images
Unilever said it would allow the recruitment of Russian employees to be sent to Ukraine if they were called up.
The consumer goods giant, which has about 3,000 employees in Russia, has policies that cover the welfare and safety of its workers.
However, in a letter to campaign group B4Ukraine, she said she would abide by Russia’s conscription law.
Unilever has been under pressure to withdraw from Russia, but says the situation is “not clear”.
In a message to B4UkraineUnilever, which is campaigning for companies to stop operating in Russia to harm its economy, Unilever said it “totally condemns the war in Ukraine as a senseless act of brutality by the Russian state”.
It also said it takes responsibility for its 3,000 employees, adding that it has “universal principles including the safety and well-being of our employees”.
However, the British company, which makes products including Marmite and Cornetto ice cream, said it was “aware of the law which requires any company operating in Russia to allow staff to be recruited if they are called up”.
“We always comply with all laws of the countries in which we operate,” wrote Reginaldo Icclesato, chief commercial operations and supply chain officer at Unilever.
A company spokesperson declined to say whether any Russian employees had been called.
The spokesperson added that no one would continue to be paid by the company.
In its letter, it said it had paid 3.8 billion rubles (£33m; $41.8m) in taxes to the Russian state in 2022, the same amount as the previous year.
The majority of its business in Russia is personal care and hygiene products, but it continues to supply ice cream.
In February, British intelligence services estimated that between 40,000 and 60,000 Russian soldiers had been killed.
The UN has also accused Russian soldiers of committing war crimes, including rape, torture and murder “on a large scale”.
Unilever and other Western companies have been under pressure to withdraw from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.
However, Unilever said this is “not clear”. If you give up operations, they will be “taken over and run” by the Russian state.
She did not succeed in finding a way to sell the business that “the Russian state avoids the prospect of gaining more benefits, and which protects our people.”
She said there were no “desirable” ways forward, but continuing to run the business with “strict constraints” was the best option for the time being.
However, the Ukraine Solidarity Project, which is part of B4Ukraine, said Unilever’s response was “incredible”.
“One day you’re making ice cream, the next day you’re preparing for the front line. You can’t say Unilever doesn’t offer its employees diverse work experience,” said campaigner Valeria Woshchevska.
“If this protects your workers, I’d hate to see what it’s like to get hurt.”
