NESTLE announced that it would pay full salaries to employees who are suffering from work stoppages for a minimum of three months, to guard them from the fallout during pandemic.
The Swiss company also said that it would temporarily raise wages for on-duty factory and distribution center workers in Canada by $3 per hour, subsequent to March 16, 2020.
Nestle Chief Executive Officer Mark Schneider said in a statement, “The COVID-19 pandemic is a global problem and consequently we are offering help on the ground everywhere.”
On Monday, Schneider sent a memo to employees, “Please get ready for the storm to hit – because hit it will,” Schneider said, comparing the pandemic to a storm. The company said it was working hard to ensure supplies were maintained and assured customers that it would be able to deliver products to meet the global demand for food, as people stay at home for an extended period of time, on Thursday.
It would additionally pay bonuses to employees of its Canadian factories who are unable to work from home, and salaries for up to eight weeks to those in retail operations, which have been temporarily closed, states Nestle, Canada.
The Kit-Kat chocolate and Nescafe coffee maker also announced that it would provide cash advances or loans to those in financial difficulties, and that it had put in place sick leave arrangements for employees who may catch the virus.
Nestlé’s rival Unilever also said it would pay part-time workers for up to three months and accelerate payments for little and mid-sized suppliers to supply relief during the outbreak on Wednesday. Nestle said it was about to partnering with Red Cross to provide the humanitarian agency with supplies and transportation, and was donating 10 million Swiss francs, food, water and medical nutrition products to those most suffered by the pandemic.