Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Labour launches new attack on Walmart


Walmart is under attack again from labour.

Wal-Mart workers on four continents sued the giant retailer today in California Superior Court in Los Angeles. They maintain that Wal-Mart failed to meet its contractual duty to ensure that its suppliers pay basic wages due; forced them to work excessive hours seven days a week with no time off for holidays; obstructed their attempts to form a union; and, made false and misleading statements to the American public about the company's labor and human rights practices. For the rest go here.
This of course will likely be a long legal battle not easily won. Perhaps if labour does win this one the US-China trade gap will close significantly. Walmart is a big part of China's economy.

Here's a nugget from the Daily Show on Walmart.
Here's a great doc on PBS's frontline about Walmart and America. This doc gives a great explanation of the power that Walmart commands in the market when sourcing goods and how it leans on suppliers.
Here's a labour site on Walmart.

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