Wal-Mart Shows Anti-Union Stripes in U.K.

by James Parks, Apr 28, 2006

Wal-Mart, which destroys good U.S. jobs through its rabid anti-unionism, low wages and massive imports from China, now is extending those policies overseas. The Independent, a United Kingdom newspaper, reports the world’s largest retailer forced its British subsidiary, Asda, to renege on a deal to recognize a union:

Officials at the GMB general union alleged yesterday that the anti-union American company put pressure on Asda’s chief executive Andy Bond to renege on an agreement acceding to collective bargaining at the supermarket’s distribution network.

Other union sources say Asda’s human resources department in Britain has admitted privately that the company is trying to undermine the deal and “keep the GMB in its box.”

Paul Kenny, acting general secretary of the GMB, said the agreement included collective bargaining rights at 21 distribution sites. The deal also provided for a national joint negotiating committee, he said.

Asda recently paid a fine of about $1.53 million for illegally offering to pay staff at a warehouse to vote away the union’s negotiating rights, according to The Independent.

“The essence of Wal-Mart’s business model is cutting corners and imposing its anti-worker, anti-union rules across America and around the world,” says AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. “Breaking a hard-won agreement between the GMB and Wal-Mart’s U.K. subsidiary, Asda, is of a piece with Wal-Mart’s legendary efforts to shut down workers’ organizing efforts in the U.S. and Canada.”

In 2005, Wal-Mart closed a store in Quebec where workers had voted to join the unaffiliated United Food and Commercial Workers.

On April 13, the Quebec Superior Court rejected Wal-Mart’s effort to overturn the union certification at a store in St-Hyacinthe. The province’s labor relations board certified in January 2005 that workers at the store east of Montreal had chosen a union.

However, Wal-Mart dragged out the recognition process through multiple litigations. The retailer is expected to appeal this latest ruling as well.

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