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<ul><li>Parle is considering laying off 10,000 employees, thanks to the significant slump in sales, according to an ET report. </li><li>The auto industry has already laid off nearly 350,000 employees in the last four months. </li><li>Rural wages hit the lowest level in the last three years in May 2018. </li></ul>Every economic slowdown hurts the poorer people the most. It’s no different this time. The cash crunch rising out of a slowing economy and rising unemployment is biting budget households in India so bad that they are cutting back on biscuits and that is leading to more job losses at manufacturing plants. India’s largest biscuit maker, Parle is considering laying off 10,000 employees, thanks to the significant slump in sales, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/jobs/drop-in-demand-may-force-parle-to-lay-off-up-to-10000-employees/articleshow/70763132.cms?from=mdr">according to</a> an ET report. Parle’s products are mostly consumed by people in the lower rungs of India’s economic pyramid, people in smaller towns and villages. Parle, which makes Parle-G, Monaco and Marie biscuits records an average sale of over ₹10,000 crore annually with over 100,000 employees. “The number of shops stocking these products is the same, but the number of products being sold from these shops is going down due to weakening consumer demand,” Mayank Shah, category heads at <keyword id="235733" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Parle-Products">Parle Products</keyword> <a href="https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/after-britannia-now-parle-hit-by-slowdown-says-gst-responsible-for-it">told </a>National Herald. Higher tax and lower incomes It doesn’t help that biscuits are taxed at 12-18% in the goods and services tax regime. ““These biscuits were taxed at only 12-14 per cent under the previous excise and value added tax regime. Under GST, they are priced at 18%. This forces companies to increase prices, impacting sales,” Shah had added. The slowdown is getting increasingly visible in consumption. It started with trucks followed <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/hul-volume-growth-slowest-in-7-quarters-q1-profit-in-line-with-estimates-119072400067_1.html">by car sales</a> and then two wheelers and now it has hit even products <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/hul-volume-growth-slowest-in-7-quarters-q1-profit-in-line-with-estimates-119072400067_1.html">of daily consumption</a>. The auto industry has already <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-auto-manufacturers-have-laid-off-350000-jobs-in-four-months/articleshow/70563890.cms">laid off nearly 350,000 employees </a>in the last four months. Job cuts in companies like Parle will only make the situation worse. People are increasingly worried about the prospects in the coming as signalled by the Reserve Bank of India’s co<a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/consumer-confidence-for-the-month-of-june-drops-thomson-reuters-ipsos-survey-1563012458113.html">nsumer confidence index </a>that fell sharply in June 2019 and has stayed near that level since then. The falling biscuit sales only confirm that the country’s rural distress is far from abating. Rural wages hit the lowest level in the last three years in May 2018. “The turmoil is in rural, the turmoil is related to agriculture, so because of that the issues are happening in the value segment, right. So obviously it's affecting every segment but the biggest issue is happening in the value segment because that's what sells in those markets,” Varun Berry, the MD of Brittania said adding that people are shying away from buying <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Forget-cars-Indian-consumers-are-wary-of-buying-a-5-biscuit-packet/articleshow/70638256.cms">biscuits packs that are worth a mere ₹5</a>. Richer the better However, the richer Indians may be shelving plans for a new car but they aren’t cutting down on biscuits yet. So, the more expensive packs of biscuits are still selling well and that’s where <keyword id="6359432" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="britannia">Britannia</keyword> has not had to resort to job cuts yet but Parle has. “With around 65-70% of the portfolio in the premium space, the company plans to introduce variants with protein, gluten free, whole wheat, seed, nuts, etc., and also a niche offering catering to modern trade and e-commerce channels,” said report on consumer sentiment by SBI Caps. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/britannia-md-says-consumers-think-twice-before-buying-a-5-biscuit-raises-concerns-about-indian-economy/articleshow/70638256.cms">Forget cars, Indian consumers are wary of buying a ₹5 biscuit packet</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/kishore-biyanis-big-bazaar-wants-to-take-hindustan-unilever-and-procter-gamble-to-the-cleaners-with-its-own-laundry-brands/articleshow/70173836.cms">Kishore Biyani’s Big Bazaar wants to take Hindustan Unilever and Procter &amp; Gamble to the cleaners, with its own laundry brands</a>

India’s biscuit crisis shows slowdown is hurting the poor more — and job losses are making it worse

<ul><li><keyword id="6365619" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindustan-unilever">Hindustan Unilever</keyword> Limited has cut prices for <keyword id="6616182" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lifebuoy">Lifebuoy</keyword>, <keyword id="119472" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lux">Lux</keyword> and Dove in lieu of low demand. </li><li>The Indian economic slowdown has hit FMCG companies.</li><li>Biscuit manufacturers Parle G and Brittania too have a worried outlook for the <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword>. </li></ul>One of the biggest FMCG companies in India – Hindustan Unilever Limited – has cut prices for some of its most popular <a href="https://www.livemint.com/industry/retail/hul-reduces-lifebuoy-lux-prices-in-latest-sign-of-weak-demand-1566928904118.html">soaps </a>– Lifebuoy, Lux and Dove. While demand is one reason for it, tapering commodity prices also allowed them to take a call and pass on the benefits, the company told <a href="https://www.livemint.com/industry/retail/hul-reduces-lifebuoy-lux-prices-in-latest-sign-of-weak-demand-1566928904118.html">Mint.</a> While the price of Lux range will go down by 4%, that of Lifebuoy will go down by 6%. The Indian economic slowdown has impacted all major companies in the FMCG sector. Parle G, a leading biscuit manufacturer said it is planning to slash 10,000 jobs due to weak demand. Even though <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/fair-tax-gst-and-big-job-cut-parle-clears-air-on-layoffs/story-G2N4IYsC5aQ0x9rINe8EHN.html">Parle G</a> has denied the same, it has also said it is “an eventuality if our demand for lesser tax rates is not met.” In the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/business/report-consumers-thinking-twice-before-buying-a-rs-5-pack-britannia-2781047">latest earnings conference call</a> of Britannia, the company’s MD Varun Berry raised some serious concerns about the Indian economy. "We've grown only 6% and the market is growing slower than that. And that's a little bit of a worry, because even for a ₹5 product if the consumer is thinking twice before buying it, then there is some serious issue in the economy,” he said. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-villagers-are-not-buying-clothes-and-cutting-back-on-hair-oil/articleshow/70856804.cms">After biscuits, Indian villagers are cutting down on clothes and hair oil too</a>

Lifebuoy and Lux get cheaper as HUL reduces prices because of low demand

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I joined the Royal Navy three years ago and came out as gay to my fellow officers.</li><li>Despite the Royal Navy's homophobic history, the other officers accepted me.</li></ul>Editor's note: Insider has verified the identity of the writer, but they asked to remain anonymous to retain their privacy.On my 25th <a href="https://www.insider.com/free-birthday-stuff-freebies-nyc-discounts-food-rewards-deals-2022-8">birthday</a>, I made a life-changing decision: I joined the Royal Navy as a warfare officer. Not long after, I made another bold decision: I came out as gay to my fellow officers. After that, one thought repeated in my head: "Don't let them think <a href="https://www.insider.com/lgbtq-celebrities-who-talk-about-being-gay-pride-2019-6">gays</a> are weak." I repeated that thought as I crawled through the mud in the pouring rain and stumbled over hills in the snow. It became my driving force during training. As motivating as the thought was, I later realized I was putting myself in a box that no one else was.<h2>Coming out as gay in the Royal Navy went surprisingly smoothly</h2>When I joined the Navy three years ago, I already had a degree in social sciences and secured my dream job. But I was still lacking something. I wanted wider life experience, real-world skills, and more confidence. When I met up with an old friend who had <a href="https://www.insider.com/every-piece-gear-us-army-combat-medics-bag-2022-11">joined the military</a>, I saw how he improved himself. So I took his advice and joined the Navy — also following in my grandfather's footsteps. A year later, I began training at <a href="https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/our-organisation/bases-and-stations/training-establishments/brnc-dartmouth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Britannia Royal Naval College</a> in Dartmouth, Devon. A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJdnF6HKM1I" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1977 documentary</a> compares the experience of training at Dartmouth to a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. It has softened since then, but the start of training is too hectic to focus on anything but that. Those early days were filled with endless kit inspections, running around the hills of Dartmoor loaded with equipment, and log runs where we ran a series of logs around the base.So it was several weeks into training when I came out to my division after a night out. I felt that we had grown so close as a group, they deserved to know the truth. I wanted them to know who I truly was. Some were surprised, and some tried to hide their surprise. Overall, my revelation was met with acceptance and little comment. Of course, this wasn't the only time I had to come out — the process repeats each time I join a new ship or unit. On board a ship, word gets around fast; sailors love gossip. If one person knows, you best assume the whole ship knows. On one ship, I told a couple of officers in the wardroom. Barely an hour later, I was heading ashore when I overheard one sailor telling another about me being gay. But there are benefits to this. When you come out, you will be promptly told (if you don't know already) about every other nonheterosexual on board. There's no divide, but it is useful to know in case you want to talk about something with other queer folks.<h2>The UK only lifted the ban on LGBTQ people serving in the armed forces in 2000</h2>Before then, around <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/458714.stm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">60 servicemen were forced to leave military service</a> every year because of their sexuality, the BBC reported. We'll probably never know the actual number of people who felt unable to reconcile their sexuality with their service and left the military because of it.The issue was largely a consequence of the divide between public and military opinion. Despite<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/458714.stm" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 68% of the public opposing the ban in 1999</a>, a survey of military personnel in the mid-'90s found that 95% of respondents said they would prefer not to serve alongside homosexuals, the BBC reported. The military has become much more welcoming since then. Originally, it was feared that the arrival of gays into the military would create an "us versus them" mindset, disrupting the unity required for operational effectiveness. This never materialized. Instead, closeted personnel lost the stress of a Damoclean sword hanging over their heads. In 2006, personnel in the Royal Navy were allowed to wear uniforms at Pride events. Today, all personnel undertake diversity and inclusion training, and each unit has a designated diversity and inclusion team.<h2>The final barrier came from within me</h2>Willem Arondeus was a Dutch resistance fighter in World War II. After being betrayed, captured, and sentenced to death, <a href="https://www.ebar.com/story.php?ch=news&amp;sc=history&amp;id=309463" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his last words were</a>: "Let it be known homosexuals are not cowards." This quote exposes a fear intrinsic to my gay experience — a fear that my sexuality makes me inferior.I don't believe that it does. I don't think my colleagues believe it either, yet under stress, our brains play tricks on us. We look for enemies, and in a testosterone-filled, high-pressure environment, that fear cuts deeper.Knowing that I wanted to come out in the future, I sought to prove myself from day one. During every daily physical-training session when my body was screaming at me to give up or slow down, Arondeus' quote would reverberate in my head, pushing me forward. One time I was given a medical exemption from a training session after the medical staff found I had severe shin splints. I tore up the exemption and attended the session anyway. I constantly felt like I was under greater scrutiny and someone was waiting for me to screw up.Coming out freed me from this mindset. Seeing my friends and colleagues accept me without judgment, I realized that the standard I had to meet was the same for everyone. I still gave my all, but without the self-inflicted pressure and stress. After all, I had proved to myself that I was good enough — that I could hold my own.

I'm a British Royal Navy officer — and I'm gay. I feel like I've had to work twice as hard as my straight peers.

You Searched For "jobs cuts in britannia" and got 3 results

India’s biscuit crisis shows slowdown is hurting the poor more — and job losses are making it worse

Prerna Sindwani

Lifebuoy and Lux get cheaper as HUL reduces prices because of low demand

Sanchita Dash

I'm a British Royal Navy officer — and I'm gay. I feel like I've had to work twice as hard as my straight peers.

Anonymous

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