Back in early
August of this year, in our article “Unilever's
teetotum,” we reported the company’s decision to reduce the number of
its factories worldwide by about 50 to 60, which meant cutting 20 thousand of
the current 179 thousand jobs. While the Jibaro tribe was known for shrinking
the heads of their enemies to turn them into amulets, the shrinking of factories
and jobs in Unilever is aimed at increasing shareholder profit.
Now, less than
a month later, we hear that Brazil’s Department of Consumer
Protection and Defense (DPDC) fined Unilever with 788,217
reais (some US$ 409,000) for cutting the content of their Arisco tomato
paste container, which went from 370 to 350 grams.
In a line of
reasoning that was a mixture of mockery and cynicism, Unilever defended
itself by claiming that it had reduced the content of the Arisco
containers to match that of Cica, its leading brand in the market. In
their opinion there was no false advertising or omissions that could lead
consumers to confusion, as the new packaging has detailed information on the
product. For its part, the DPDC rejected that argument because it
understood that a simple indication of the new weight on the container, with no
express warning, does not inform consumers in a clear and obvious way of the
change in the quantity, and, therefore, the right of consumers to information is
violated.**
While
Unilever’s modern Jibaros are not attempting to imitate their
ancestors by actually shrinking the heads of their victims –the thousands of men
and women they are laying off–, they are trying to “get into the heads” of those
workers that remain. They’ve already started with a novel experience in their
Barcelona (Spain) offices, where employees can find out what is going on
in the company through a closed circuit TV channel. This “Unilever TV,”
as it is called, consists of a set of multimedia panels with large
screens distributed throughout the workers’ rest areas. The system keeps
employees informed about what’s happening outside the office, with headlines of
the leading news and weather forecasts. It also highlights the advantages of
working in the company, among them the discounts workers obtain in certain
stores and restaurants.
Besides the
legal actions that this new development may give rise to, considering the right
workers have of having full command of their body and mind during their breaks
and doing whatever they please, TV Unilever should spark a quick reaction
from the union, which should demand that the company respect the workers’ rights
to shut off the system during their breaks. Better still, that during their
breaks, the system be placed at the service of the union –like an extension of
the union bulletin board.
Meanwhile,
workers of Unilever be warned! If you see a character dressed up in
feathers and carrying a blowpipe…be suspicious.
