Unilever: agreement signed with EWC on the ‘Future of Work’ to support retraining of workers and the development of employment models that are more compatible with their expectations

On Wednesday 5 March, the management at consumer goods group Unilever signed an agreement on the ‘future of work’ with its European Works Council. The deal sets out jointly-devised measures, to be funded by Unilever, to put in place a common programme to support transformation at the group.
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The latest agreement comes nine years after a first road map, the Barcelona Agenda, was drawn up together by the Unilever management and EWC. The updated iteration, named Barcelona 2.0, has been subject to discussions for some five months. The objective of ensuring sustainable employment remains in place, but the new plan adds that “productivity dividends must […] also be used to invest in employees”. The signatories also underline that “while jobs cannot always be protected during a period of

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