WAL-MART faces labour challenge in Philippines
WAL-MART faces labour challenge in Philippines
As reported in the Financial Times, Wal-Mart is being accused of failing to respond to anti-union violence at one of its supplier’s factories in the Philippines. The Worker Rights Consortium, a group backed by leading US universities, says the retailer has “failed to do anything to correct severe violations” at the Chong Won Fashion factory outside Manila, which produces clothing for One Step Up, a Wal-Mart supplier. Wal-Mart has decided to launch a new investigation into the union dispute at the factory by Verité, a respected not-for-profit monitoring group. The retailer, which conducted four monitoring visits to the factory last year focused on working conditions, says it wants to gain “a balanced view” on the dispute that would be mutually acceptable to all the parties involved. “We need to give them adequate time to thoroughly investigate and find viable solutions,” said Amy Wyatt, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman, who said the Verité report should be delivered “very soon”.