THE HOT STORY

Unilever agrees two-year worker protection following McCormick merger

Unilever has agreed to protect the employment terms of workers in its European and UK food unit until at least mid-2029 after the planned 2027 completion of its $65bn merger of the business with US spice maker McCormick. The two year agreement, which will govern the treatment and pay of European employees regardless of changes in business conditions, is twice as long as is usual for such deals and goes beyond the protection that is typically afforded under European Union and British legislation, under which employee contracts and collective agreements can be renegotiated one year after merger deals. A Unilever spokesperson said: "We have made good progress over the past few weeks and have agreed commitments in Europe regarding the protection of employees’ terms and conditions and consultation timelines."

Reuters

STRATEGY

DSM-Firmenich to cut jobs worldwide

Swiss-Dutch multinational chemical company DSM-Firmenich has launched a restructuring programme aimed at reducing annual costs by €100m. The company, which employs over 28,500 people globally, has not disclosed the specific locations of job cuts. "It is a global cost-cutting program, but exactly where and how many jobs will be affected still has to be discussed with employee representatives," said a company spokesperson, who added that some positions will also be eliminated through natural attrition. Ed Leunissen, a board member at the CNV trade union, said he is not convinced the job cuts are justified. "I always have mixed feelings when a company posts strong profits but still decides to eliminate jobs," he observed. "It doesn't always have to be about constant growth, but we're seeing that mindset more and more."

NL Times

BP puts its UK North Sea business up for sale

BP has put its UK North Sea business up for sale. The UK oil major, which has five oil and gas hubs in UK waters, said the move was part of an ongoing review of the business. Experts say BP could now look to shift its HQ from London to New York, costing the UK government millions in lost stamp duty. BP chief executive Meg O'Neill said: "As we focus our portfolio and direct capital to our highest-value opportunities, we believe our North Sea business will be better positioned as part of another company . . . It has world-class people, resilient assets and a proud heritage, and it is precisely these qualities that can attract an owner ready to back its next chapter. We are seeking an outcome that recognises that value."

HIRING

Virtual interviews don't show bosses your personality, Burnham says

Employers should not rely so heavily on virtual job interviews when hiring because they don't capture candidates' personality and passion, UK prime minister Andy Burnham has said. "One thing I really don't like is this culture now of interviewing via Zoom or Teams," he told a careers podcast, adding: "How do you get over some of your personality, your passion?" Burnham said: "It seems to me to then work against people who have that side to their character and work for those who are just giving the more formulaic answer." Maxine Bligh from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said: "AI tools are helpful, even essential, when dealing with a huge volume of applications, but it takes skill and professionalism to make the right call . . . The key message from us to recruiters is to go digital where it matters and human where it counts."

BBC News

CORPORATE

Couche-Tard agrees $8.7bn takeover of Żabka

Alimentation Couche-Tard has agreed to acquire Polish convenience retailer Żabka Group for 32.6bn zloty ($8.7bn) in its largest-ever acquisition, strengthening the Circle K owner's European presence after abandoning its pursuit of Seven & i Holdings. The Canadian retailer will launch a voluntary tender offer of 32 zloty ($8.48) per share, with shareholders representing around 57% of Żabka's equity, including management and private equity investors, already backing the deal. The acquisition would significantly expand Couche-Tard's footprint in Poland, where it currently operates around 400 Circle K stores, by adding Żabka's network of approximately 13,000 convenience stores.

Bloomberg

Reuters

RISK

Ozon resumes warehouse operations after Ukrainian drone alert

Russian e-commerce company Ozon has temporarily evacuated its warehouse in Zelenodolsk, Tatarstan, following a Ukrainian drone alert, although the logistics facility was undamaged and resumed operations shortly afterwards. The company said the evacuation was completed within minutes and there were no casualties. The incident follows a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on warehouses operated by rival Wildberries, with analysts having recently warned that Ozon's infrastructure could also become a target. As Ozon and Wildberries operate neighbouring warehouses in many locations, including Zelenodolsk, it remains unclear which facility was the intended target of the attack.

Reuters

LEADERSHIP

Infantino faces mounting pressure to resign

Gianni Infantino is facing calls to step down or face a no-confidence vote after the FIFA president attempted to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. UEFA and the FA condemned the plan, as did other football governing bodies, labelling it a "shabby, back-room, opaque deal." Infantino could have made tens of millions of pounds from the scheme he tried to force through, according to reports. Although he has since ditched the idea, critics say Infantino must leave in order for trust in FIFA to be rebuilt.

Financial Times

The Sunday Telegraph

INTERNATIONAL

Employers move to make hiring AI-proof

Employers who are concerned about applicants using stolen or fabricated identities to boost their chances of getting a job are verifying applicants' identities throughout the hiring process by taking biometric scans of their faces and scrutinising email histories. More than a third of about 1,230 headhunters and hiring managers surveyed by hiring software firm Greenhouse say they now spend half their time filtering for “spam and junk” job applications. “Technologies are now being used that draw from well-tested, decades-old cybersecurity used in places like airports and voting and military and government applications to the ordinary business of applying to a job,” Greenhouse CEO Daniel Chait said. Almost a quarter (23%) of US companies polled by background-check provider Checkr said hiring fraud had cost them more than $50,000 in the past year because of delayed projects, compliance issues and rehiring costs.

Bloomberg

Oman says fake overseas job offers are increasingly used by human trafficking networks

Oman has said that fake overseas job offers are increasingly being used by human trafficking networks to exploit victims. Sheikh Khalifa Ali Al Harthy, Undersecretary of Oman's Foreign Ministry, highlighted the need for international cooperation to combat these evolving threats. He said that traffickers often use fraudulent recruitment ads to lure individuals into forced labour or cybercrime. Authorities are urging the public to verify job offers and report suspicious activities. The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, which is observed each year on July 30, seeks to strengthen global efforts to prevent trafficking, protect victims and reinforce international cooperation against one of the fastest-evolving forms of organised crime.

TimesofOman

OTHER

Merck, Wellcome venture to make Ebola vaccine for clinical trials

Hilleman Laboratories, a joint venture between Merck and the health research charity Wellcome, is preparing to manufacture doses of an experimental vaccine against the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for a fast-spreading outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The effort is backed by up to $8.5m in funding from the global partnership Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). "With Bundibugyo virus cases rising at worrying speed, the epidemic is fast becoming a humanitarian crisis,” CEPI chief executive Richard Hatchett said. “No vaccine is currently approved against the virus, so we are urgently advancing vaccine candidates ⁠into testing."

Reuters

The Human Times is designed to help you stay ahead, spark ideas and support innovation, learning and development in your organisation.

The links under articles indicate original news sources. Some links lead directly to the source material. Others lead to paywalls where you may need a subscription. A third category are restricted by copyright rules.

For reaction and insights on any stories covered in the Human Times, join the discussion by becoming a member of our LinkedIn Group or Business Page, or follow us on X.

Online

Advertise

This e-mail has been sent to [[EMAIL_TO]]

Click here to unsubscribe