Support for Wal-Mart China staff to join union
Official help to set up branches in stores
Wal-Mart’s 39 stores in China look certain to change the retailer’s no-union policy after the state-funded All-China Federation of Trade Unions said it would help workers set up branches “as soon as possible”.
Wal-Mart conceded to calls from the federation earlier this week, issuing a media statement confirming that it would meet its legal obligation under Chinese law to allow to employees to form a union. The company added: “There are no unions in Wal-Mart China because associates have not requested that one be formed.”
Officials at the federation have welcomed the move. Li Jianming, division chief at the group’s international liaison department in Beijing, told the Associated Press news agency:”We have not obtained any union-related statements from Wal-Mart itself. But we learned from media reports that they have changed their attitude on the issue and we welcome that decision.
“After all, it is the right of the workers to establish workers’ unions, and no company or employer has the right to deprive them of that.”
The official Xinhua News Agency said: “The ACFTU is planning to help foreign-funded companies, including Wal-Mart, in the country to establish trade unions as soon as possible, and if the foreign-funded companies still deny their workers’ right to join the trade unions, the ACFTU will surely pursue litigation against them.”
