‘Scandalous and shocking’ is how the FNV trade union federation describes the stance of major Dutch multinationals in China on the front page of today’s Het Financieele Dagblad.

FNV chairperson Agnes Jongerius claims that companies such as Philips, Heineken, Akzo and Unilever are opposed to new Chinese legislation that would give workers and unions more rights.
‘Dutch companies are in the front line of an extensive international lobby which wants to deny Chinese workers better rights. I am not proud of this and neither should they be,’ says Jongerius in the FD.
The companies deny the FNV’s accusations. A spokesman for Unilever said the company has nothing against meaningful new legislation but that it was more important that existing legislation was adhered to.