Unilever will not cut IT jobs

Unilever UK says no IT jobs will be affected by its recent announcement as part of a planned restructuring programme that could see the manufacturer cut thousands of jobs over the next four years.

The manufacturer is also carrying out a global review of the IT applications it uses in more than 150 countries. The review will benchmark how critical each application is to the business.

Although Unilever has not confirmed the total number of jobs to be cut, a spokesman said only manufacturing and marketing positions were involved and no IT roles would be affected.

Dave Lewis, Unilever UK chairman, said the investment of £30m in technological capability was key to the programme aimed at increasing competitiveness and growth, but "the impact on our employees is very real and we will handle this in a sensitive way."

Unilever said in a statement that the proposed changes were aimed at increasing supply chain efficiency and responsiveness.

Wirral and Warrington will be the first sites affected by the review and restructuring process, followed by Leeds, Essex and Crumlin.