The French hypermarket chain Leroy Merlin who is also operating in Poland, is one of the few companies that decided to continue their operations in Russia despite its attack on Ukraine.
What’s more, the network even intends to expand its offer in this country to fill the gaps left by the companies that have withdrawn, reported the Russian TASS agency on 11 March.
800 Leroy Merlin employees in Ukraine cut off
In Ukraine, Leroy Merlin cut off 800 employees from the internal corporate communication system, said Ludmila Dziuba, head of the HR department of the Ukrainian branch of the network on social media.
As she explained, this channel was used to organise medical care and humanitarian aid for workers who found themselves in the war zone.
She added that the company was to restore communication channels for employees from Ukraine on March 15, but ultimately did not meet this deadline.
On March 16, Ukrainian employees were to be notified that Leroy Merlin would create a special space for communication. Ultimately, the network created a closed channel and only the French headquarters can add new members to it, said the head of HR of the Ukrainian branch Leroy Merlin.
“Please, restore the company’s means of communication to employees as soon as possible. Let’s not let deadly danger reach people in a state of helplessness! Can cybersecurity be more important than the humanity and life of an employee?” – wrote Ludmiła Dziuba on LinkedIn.
Many western companies still operating in Russia
In connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many Western companies have decided to limit or suspend their activities in Russia.
The list of these companies is very long, including IKEA, Chanel and Coca-Cola, as well as big concerns such as Airbus, Apple, Intel and Microsoft. Decisions in this matter were made by numerous automotive, clothing, transport, aviation, financial, IT and fuel and energy companies.
They still have not withdrawn from Russia, incl. Danone, Nestle and Unilever.
Source: Gazeta
