Unilever 2008 Annual Report Download - page 154

Unilever Annual Report and Accounts 2008 151
Financial statements
Further statutory and other information Unilever PLC
Employee involvement and communication
Unilever’s UK companies maintain formal processes to inform,
consult and involve employees and their representatives. A high
proportion of the United Kingdom sites are accredited to the
Investors in People standard. Our sites also use tools such as Total
Productive Maintenance which rely heavily on employee
involvement, contribution and commitment.
A National Consultative Council covering employees and
management representatives exists to provide a forum for
discussing issues relating to the United Kingdom. A European
Works Council, embracing employee and management
representatives from countries within Europe, has been
in existence for several years and provides a forum for discussing
issues that extend across national boundaries.
The directors’ reports of the United Kingdom group companies
contain more details about how they have communicated with
their employees during 2008.
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.
Our equal opportunities policy is designed, among other things,
to ensure that people with disabilities, and other under-
represented groups, are given the same training, development
and prospects as other employees. Every effort is also made to
retrain and support employees who become disabled while
working within the Group.
The company carries out regular employee monitoring surveys.
The company continues to review ways in which greater diversity
can be achieved in recruitment and selection.
The company continues to put in place policies which promote
the achievement of diversity in the business. We have policies on
home working, flexible working, maternity and paternity leave,
child care provision and career breaks, which help us to meet this
objective.
Charitable and other contributions
Unilever collates the cost of its community involvement activities
using the London Benchmarking Group model. The model
recommends the separation of charitable donations, community
investment, commercial initiatives in the community and
management costs relating to the programme of activity.
During 2008 UK group companies made a total contribution of
£6.0 million, analysed as follows:
• Charitable donations: £0.7 million.
• Community investment: £0.6 million.
• Commercial initiatives in the community: £4.5 million.
• Management costs: £0.2 million.
No donation or contribution was made or expenditure incurred
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 UK Companies Act
1985. PLC, as a holding company, does not itself make any
relevant payments in this respect.
Auditors and disclosure of information to auditors
A resolution will be proposed at the AGM on 13 May 2009 for
the re-appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditors of
PLC. The present appointment will end at the conclusion of the
AGM.
To the best of each of the Directors’ knowledge and belief,
and having made appropriate enquiries of other officers of the
Unilever Group, all information relevant to enabling the auditors
to provide their opinions on PLC’s consolidated and parent
company accounts has been provided. Each of the Directors
has taken all reasonable steps to ensure their awareness of any
relevant audit information and to establish that the company’s
auditors are aware of any such information.
Authority to purchase own shares
At the AGM of PLC held on 14 May 2008, authority was given
pursuant to Article 64 of the PLC Articles of Association to make
market purchases of PLC ordinary shares of 31⁄9p each, to a
maximum of 290 million shares. This authority will expire at the
AGM on 13 May 2009, and a resolution will be proposed to
renew the authority. On 1 August 2008, Unilever PLC announced
that it had purchased 15 140 779 Unilever PLC ordinary shares
under this authority.
Details of shares purchased by an employee share trust and
Unilever group companies to satisfy options granted under PLC’s
employee share schemes are given in the report of the
Remuneration Committee on page 71 and in note 29 to the
consolidated accounts on pages 133 to 134.
Directors’ report of PLC and limitations of liability
For the purposes of Section 234 of the Companies Act 1985, the
Directors’ Report of Unilever PLC for the year ended 31 December
2008 comprises this and the following page and the information
contained in the report of the Directors on pages 2 to 76 which
includes the Company’s position on environment and corporate
responsibility matters, the report of the Remuneration Committee
in respect of Directors’ interests in shares or debentures of the
Group on pages 71 and 73, Dividends on page 97, Principal
group companies and non-current investments on pages 140 and
141, significant shareholders of PLC as disclosed on page 153,
and financial instruments and treasury risk management on
page 108. The information required to be given pursuant to
Section 992 of the UK Companies Act 2006 is covered elsewhere
in this Annual Report.
The Directors’ Report has been drawn up and presented in
accordance with and in reliance upon English company law and
liabilities of the Directors in connection with that report shall be
subject to the limitations and restrictions provided by such law.