Freia employees melted in the sun at Youngstorget in Oslo on Saturday. On the other hand, the conflict and boycott that has emerged in recent days is not very sweet. The employees’ union had a planned event in the capital, and displayed both old vans and uniforms. Freia employee Einar Birger Salvesen is worried about his workplace. Photo: Line Tomter / news – This is nothing fancy. We are a little worried about our workplaces, because we see how quickly it spreads, says Einar Birger Salvesen. He has worked 36 years in the company. Colleague Jon-Inge Andy Sogn has 37 years’ experience in the same place. – Wrong focus More and more companies are stopping the sale of Freia products in protest that Freia’s parent company Mondelez has not stopped operations in Russia. – I think it is the wrong focus to sanction Freia. We have nothing to do with the factories in Russia, neither in terms of chocolate nor finances. The boycotts go beyond Freia, Norway and Norwegian workplaces, says Sogn. Mondelez states that Freia products are made with Norwegian raw materials at Rodeløkka in Oslo, and that they do not sell anything made in Russia in the Norwegian market. – It is not pleasant to read comments on social media, says Sogn. Blacklisted Mondelez is blacklisted by the Ukrainian authorities because the company still has production in Russia. The Norwegian Tourist Association is among those who have reacted. Since 1960, they have had a collaboration with the company on Kvikk Lunsj, for many the great travel chocolate. – DNT condemns Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and we expect our partners to support fundamental values such as democracy, peace and international law. As long as Mondelez International does not want to stop its operations in Russia, we cannot have an active collaboration on Kvikk lunch, says general secretary Dag Terje Klarp Solvang.
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