Unilever has made a commitment to ensure that all the employees in its supply chain receive at least a ‘living wage’. Its own employees already enjoy at least a living wage, but now the Company wants to ensure that even workers outside its own workforce are assured of the same. Therefore, it has directed all its suppliers to pay their employees a decent salary by 2030. That is not all, the Company has decided that it will only conduct business with companies or entities that pay at least a living wage or income to their workforce. By doing so, Unilever will actually bring a great difference to millions of lives, considering the size of the Company, the fact that it operates in 190 countries and that it has over 60,000 direct suppliers across the globe.
Living wage is the minimum decent salary paid to a worker to enable him/her to meet all the basic needs of running a family and rise above the poverty line.
Through this commitment, the Company that manufactures Marmite, Dove soap and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream among other products, will be making a significant contribution to nurturing an inclusive society and improving the living standards of workers belonging to the lower rungs.
By 2030, the British multinational that sells fast-moving consumer goods, hopes to make sure that all the people directly or indirectly associated with Unilever earn at least a living wage or decent income that will take care of their food, housing, healthcare, education, clothing and transport needs, and also handle contingencies. The move is definitely going to improve the lives of millions of people globally, including the oft exploited workers in the manufacturing and agriculture space.
