Wal-Mart offers talks on union formation
By Fu Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-10 08:47 The world's leading retailer, Wal-Mart, has
offered to engage China's top union federation in discussions about the
formation of unions among its employees.
The gesture towards rapprochement from Wal-Mart China, came yesterday after
five trade unions were set up in its stores in Fujian, Jiangsu and Guangdong
provinces in the previous 10 days.
"We have sent a letter to request a talk with the All-China Federation of
Trade Unions (ACFTU) to seek possible ways to fulfil this commitment," Dong
Yuguo, senior press manager, told China Daily from Wal-Mart's headquarters in
Shenzhen, Guandong Province, where three stores set up trade unions this month.
In a written statement, the retailer said it was working
with the federation and local union organizations to establish an "effective and
harmonious" way to establish grassroots unions among the 30,000 employees in
Wal-Mart's 60 China stores.
Workers
perform the warm-up dance during the opening ceremony of the newly opened
Wal-Mart store in Shanghai in this July 28, 2005 file photo. Wal-Mart
Stores Inc said Thursday it has agreed to cooperate with China's top union
federation in creating unions at its 60 Chinese outlets.
[AP] |
The ACFTU has been campaigning for two years for the
formation of unions at all 60 Wal-Marts in China, alleging that the company had
blocked its efforts.
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