Ukraine's largest job search website stops cooperation with companies that haven't left Russian market
Work.ua — the largest resource for finding and posting jobs in Ukraine — announced that as of today, they will cease cooperation with companies that have not left the market of the aggressor country. All related vacancies will disappear from the company's website.
What is the problem?
At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, international companies withdrew from the Russian market. However, most of them could not refuse to cooperate with the aggressor even after a year and a half of the bloodiest war of the 21st century right in the center of Europe. Of the 1,500 international companies that worked on the Russian market until February 24, only 9% actually removed their presence. Others, one way or another, remain to work on the market of the Russian Federation, acting as sponsors of the war.
What is the solution?
Those for whom money is more valuable than human lives should have no place in Ukraine, says Work.ua. As of today, the company closes access to its website for all companies that still operate in the Russian market. In particular, these are Metro, Auchan, Nestle, Pepsico, Raiffeisen Bank, and Beko.
How does it work?
In its statement, Work.ua says these companies managed to work in Ukraine all this time with the idea that they support the Ukrainian economy. At the beginning of full-scale Russian aggression, everything stopped when the Ukrainian labor market collapsed. Ukrainians believed that companies would leave the Russian market and that it was still possible. But now, a year and a half later, their owners' choice is clear. These businessmen do not care that the aggressor country manufactures weapons that kill Ukrainians and destroy Ukrainian cities and villages for the taxes they pay in Russia, Work.ua argues.
"As long as these companies remain in Russia, we should delete them from our lives. Do not buy from them, do not provide services, do not work for them, do not be partners. Refuse any interaction with these brands and their representatives," the Work.ua company believes.
Work.ua took this step on August 10, 2023, and called on all businesses and people working with them to write resignations, terminate contracts, and suspend interaction. The company terminates contracts worth more than five million hryvnias annually and returns this money to its owners.
"Ukrainians have two most characteristic features – patience and courage. We have been patient for a long time. At first, we believed that they would all leave Russia soon. Then, they simply did not understand, and our top managers will still be able to convince them, show them Bucha, Mariupol, and the destroyed houses and deaths… what the cooperation of these companies with the enemy brings to our land. But no. They could not. The choice of these companies is to be with our enemy. So let them be! Only with him. It's time to show courage. A year and a half, that's for sure a limit," says Artur Mikhno, co-founder and CEO of Work.ua.
He adds that this is the best gift that Ukrainians can give themselves as people and as a nation before Independence Day — to rid our land of all connections with dirty brands and businesses that are still operating in Russia.
"Victory is won not only on the battlefield. Victory is formed in each of us at the level of values, virtues, and actions. Let's once again prove together with our actions that a person, life, freedom, and dignity are of the highest value. Not money. But companies that are ready to bring death to the world for the sake of money, there should be no place either among us or in the world," Artur Mikhno wrote on his Facebook page.
Ukrainians supported Work.ua. In the comments, they write: the fewer search channels the companies sponsoring the war will have, the more expensive it will be to hire them. Other recruiters can follow the example of Work.ua, and this will strengthen the desired effect.
"This is only the first step. If you have verified data about the companies you saw on Work.ua and their work in Russia, send it to us. We will make the following sanction lists and suspend cooperation with these companies. Also, check these lists of their partners and companies," Work.ua says.
Even more helpful solutions!
Each of us can help bring victory closer.
- Remember the brands that are still working in Russia and delete them from your life.
- Explain why it is important to your friends, relatives, and colleagues, including those abroad.
- Call on your pages on social media to suspend any cooperation with these companies.
- Tell your foreign friends and partners about them.
- Stop buying their products and using their services yourself.
The Work.ua sanctions list is based on data from the National Agency for Corruption Prevention at War and Sanctions website and their list of "International Sponsors of War," as well as the Leave Russia project from the Kyiv School of Economics.
Also, several international initiatives are engaged in recording companies that have not left the Russian market. One of the most famous is the Yale University list. The site is updated daily. The rating is adjusted depending on one company's actions or statements.
