Unilever 2001 Annual Report Download - page 109

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Unilever Annual Report & Accounts and Form 20-F 2001
FURTHER STATUTORY INFORMATION AND
OTHER INFORMATION
Unilever PLC
>106
Employee involvement and communication
Unilever’s UK companies maintain formal processes to inform,
consult and involve employees and their representatives. Most of
the United Kingdom sites are accredited to the Investors in People
standard. The European Foundation for Quality Management’s
model for measuring Business Excellence, with its strong emphasis
on maximising the potential of employees, is also widely employed.
A European Works Council, embracing employee and management
representatives from 15 countries of Western Europe, has been
in existence for five years and provides a forum for discussing
issues that extend across national boundaries. The constitution
has recently been reviewed and revised to take account of the
experiences of the first four years.
The directors’ reports of the United Kingdom group companies
contain more details about how they have communicated with
their employees during 2001.
Equal opportunities and diversity
The heads of all operating companies and units in the UK
have committed their businesses to achieving greater diversity.
Every Unilever company in the United Kingdom has an equal
opportunities policy and actively pursues equality of opportunity
for all employees.
An on-line open advertising system has been implemented for
management vacancies in the UK, allowing any employee an
opportunity to register an interest in an advertised vacancy.
This is to be extended globally in 2002.
The Company has committed itself to carrying out an Equal Pay
Audit, and Richard Greenhalgh, Chairman of Unilever UK, has been
appointed an Equal Pay Champion by the UK Government. The
Company is also reviewing ways in which diversity in recruitment
and selection may be further improved.
Charitable and other contributions
During the year group companies made a total contribution to the
community of £9.6 million, based on the London Benchmarking
Group Model. This includes £1 million donated to the Centre for
Molecular Sciences Informatics at Cambridge University.
In addition, in early February 2001 £100 000 was paid to Britain
in Europe. No contribution was made for political purposes.
Supplier payment policies
Individual operating companies are responsible for agreeing the
terms and conditions under which business transactions with their
suppliers are conducted. The directors’ reports of the United
Kingdom operating companies give information about their
supplier payment policies as required by the United Kingdom
Companies Act 1985. PLC, as a holding company, does not
itself make any relevant payments in this respect.
Auditors
A resolution will be proposed at the Annual General Meeting
on 8 May 2002 for the reappointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers
as auditors of PLC. The present appointment will end at the
conclusion of the Annual General Meeting.
Authority to purchase own shares
At the Annual General Meeting of PLC held on 9 May 2001
authority was given pursuant to Article 64 of the PLC Articles of
Association to make market purchases of PLC Ordinary Shares of
1.4p each, to a maximum of 290 million shares. This authority will
expire on 8 May 2002. The Company has not exercised this
authority during the year.
Details of shares purchased by employee share trusts and Unilever
group companies to satisfy options granted under PLC’s employee
share schemes are given in the Remuneration Report on page 45
and in note 28 to the consolidated accounts on page 87.
Directors report of PLC
For the purposes of Section 234 of the Companies Act 1985, the
Directors Report of Unilever PLC for the year ended 31 December
2001 comprises this page and the information contained in the
Report of the Directors on pages 3 to 48, Dividends on page 116,
and Principal Group Companies and Fixed Investments on pages
97 to 100.
Corporate Centre
Unilever PLC
PO Box 68 Unilever House
Blackfriars
London EC4P 4BQ
Unilever PLC Registered Office
Port Sunlight
Wirral
Merseyside CH62 4UJ
Unilever PLC Registrars
Lloyds TSB Registrars
The Causeway
Worthing
West Sussex BN99 6DA
By Order of the Board
J A A van der Bijl
S G Williams
Joint Secretaries of Unilever PLC
6 March 2002