# Unilever Faces Double Standards Accusation

> Unilever accused of unequal pay protections post McCormick merger.
- Title: Unilever Faces Double Standards Accusation · Yahoo Finance
- Summary: Unilever accused of unequal pay protections post McCormick merger. Unilever faces accusations of double standards for workers' pay and benefits after merging…
- Keywords: unilever, mccormick, iuf, pay, benefits, merger, europe, global, works council, cma, business, finance
- Source: Yahoo Finance — https://finance.yahoo.com/small-business/articles/unilever-accused-double-standards-workers-124645443.html
- Published: 2026-09-17T14:15:37+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: unilever, mccormick, iuf, pay, benefits, merger, europe, global, works council, cma, business, finance
## Unilever accused of double standards
The IUF union claims Unilever has unequal pay and benefits protections for workers in Europe versus outside Europe after the McCormick merger.

> The IUF union has accused Unilever of "double standards" in pay and benefits negotiations for workers in and outside of Europe post the McCormick deal.
## European workers get two years protection
Unilever committed to two years of pay and benefits protection for European employees following the McCormick merger completion.

> It emerged in July the London-headquartered FMCG major had made a commitment to European employees to honour existing pay and benefits for two years after the completion of the tie-up with US-based McCormick & Co.
## Global workers get one year protection
Swiss-based IUF states Unilever offers only one year of pay and benefits protection for workers outside Europe post the merger.

> However, similar arrangements for staff outside of Europe are for a shorter one-year period, according to Switzerland-based IUF, which represents the food, drinks, agricultural and hospitality industries.
## Unilever responds to accusations
Unilever stated it continues constructive engagement with works councils and focuses on supporting employees during the separation process.

> We continue to engage constructively with our works councils and other employee representatives and have made good progress.
## IUF demands universal two-year commitment
IUF insists Unilever must provide equal two-year pay and benefits protection for all global workers post merger.

> Unilever refuses to engage on this at an international level and has indicated that, outside of Europe, unions should negotiate locally or regionally over the two years' protection
## CMA investigates merger impact
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Unilever's $44.8bn sale of food assets to McCormick for potential competition effects.

> McCormick's deal for most of Unilever's food assets is being investigated by the CMA to ascertain if the transaction will have any impact on competition.
## Key takeaway

Unilever faces accusations of double standards for workers' pay and benefits after merging with McCormick, with European employees getting two years of protection versus one year outside Europe.