News

Today US Walmart workers from stores in Lauren, Maryland and Dallas, Texas have gone on strike in response to Walmart's latest attempts to silence associates who dare to speak out.

Walmart managers have been holding meetings with workers across the country threatening them with disciplinary action or dismissal if they stand together or speak out.

Yesterday, February 6th management read a memo to workers who exercised their right to strike on Black Friday last November. The memo stated that workers who struck did so illegally and that they could be disciplined for future strikes.

UNI Global Union General Secretary Philip Jennings, speaking from Johannesburg South Africa where he is meeting with UNI affiliate COSATU on Massmart/Walmart, said, “Walmart management have sunk to yet another low. Their cynical attempt to rewrite history will not wash. The striking Black Friday Walmart workers were exercising their legal right to withdraw their labour and putting their jobs on the line in the face of severe intimidation. They acted courageously and correctly. The Bentonville bosses are now attempting to run roughshod over the US law. The workers in Lauren and Dallas are fighting back and they will not be the last. UNI’s 20 million members spearheaded by the UNI Walmart Global Union Alliance launched in the run up to Black Friday stand with them. The message from South Africa to India across Latin America to China is the same one: Walmart enough is enough – stop abusing your economic power.”

The Head of UNI Commerce, Alke Boessiger, is in the United States to meet with the striking US workers and to coordinate support through the UNI Walmart Global Union Alliance which includes Walmart workers from across the world.

"Walmart's threats and retaliation are a direct violation of my rights under the national labour relations act." said Colby Harris, a striking worker from Dallas, Texas. "I believe in a better Walmart and that silencing Associates who want to make Walmart better is immoral and illegal".

"These workers are members of Our Walmart who are demanding an end to the retaliation for speaking out for better working conditions and respect at work. We demand that Walmart management immediately cease their actions to intimidate and scare workers." said Boessiger. "The UNI Walmart Global Union Alliance and Walmart workers around the world are standing with their friends in the USA who are demanding a voice on the job. Every Walmart worker anywhere has the right to speak freely and to be treated with respect".

Colby Harris has started an online Petition addressed to Walmart USA CEO "Walmart: Stop silencing Associates who speak out".

Boessiger urged everyone who believes in decent work and dignity in the workplace to go to:

http://www.facebook.com/OURWMT, and post messages of support for the US Walmart workers.

http://www.coworker.org/petitions/walmart-stop-silencing-associates-who-speak-out

http://www.ufcw.org/2013/02/07/walmart-workers-in-maryland-and-texas-walk-off-job/

http://www.abndigital.com/page/multimedia/video/open-exchange/1515714-Labour-Market-Trends-with-Philip-Jennings

BACKGROUND NOTE

The Black Friday strike in November was a tipping point, following the first ever Walmart workers strike action in the United States the previous month. The action was led by workers under the banner “0ur Walmart” against the company’s sustained attacks on labour rights which have made it impossible for Walmart workers to pay their rent or provide for their families. Bentonville continues its sustained attempt to drive profits up to detriment of its workers and the global economy.

Walmart’s management practices are under scrutiny across the world. In India senior financial staff were suspended last year as part of an investigation into possible violations of the US Law that bans US companies from paying bribes to win or retain business abroad. Walmart itself is investigating its own practices in a number of countries, apart from India, including Brazil, China and Mexico. Earlier last year, a cover-up over allegations of bribery by Walmart related to winning the Mexican market led all the way to its US head office in Bentonville and implicated members of the board, including CEO Mike Duke and Chairman Rob Walton. In South Africa, the Courts ordered Walmart to double the local supplier development fund to R240 million for its acquisition of Massmart to off-set the Walmart effect, an indictment of its destructive business model. The Court underlined the need to keep Walmart under close scrutiny by appointing an advisory board to oversee the administration of the fund. The board includes UNI affiliate SACCAWU, the government and the South Africa Small and Medium Enterprise Forum.

The UNI Walmart Global Union Alliance was launched in Los Angeles in October with the support of UNI’s 900 union affiliates including, the UFCW in the United States. The launch of the Alliance coincided with the first strike in US Walmart history and was followed by the Black Friday strike protests and an international day of action in December which saw Walmart workers take to the streets in solidarity for US Walmart workers across the world.