Final Statement notification ATUMA vs Unilever

The Dutch National Contact Point (NCP) published the Final Statement of the Specific Instance of ATUMA, a group of former workers of Unilever-Marsavco in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), versus Unilever on Tuesday 7 May at 3 pm regarding an alleged violation of the OECD Guidelines by Unilever. The notification concerns the dismissal of 802 employees by Unilever-Marsavco in 2001 and the failure to provide a complete legal severance package.  

On April 16, 2020, the Initial Assessment was published. Both parties had accepted the NCP’s good offices to facilitate a dialogue. The dialogue did not result in an agreement.

In its Final Statement, the NCP describes the lengthy process of good offices, its findings and conclusions on good faith engagement and on the issues raised in this Specific Instance, and provides recommendations to Unilever. 

In line with its procedure, the Dutch NCP will conduct a Follow-Up one year after the publication of the Final Statement, to evaluate any developments in relation to the recommendations.