Possumblog

Not in the clamor of the crowded street, not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

REDIRECT ALERT! (Scroll down past this mess if you're trying to read an archived post. Thanks. No, really, thanks.)

Due to my inability to control my temper and complacently accept continued silliness with not-quite-as-reliable-as-it-ought-to-be Blogger/Blogspot, your beloved Possumblog will now waddle across the Information Dirt Road and park its prehensile tail at http://possumblog.mu.nu.

This site will remain in place as a backup in case Munuvia gets hit by a bus or something, but I don't think they have as much trouble with this as some places do. ::cough::blogspot::cough:: So click here and adjust your links. I apologize for the inconvenience, but it's one of those things.


Tuesday, August 26, 2003

How very odd--Chinese union body pressuring Wal-Mart to establish trade unions

BEIJING (AP) -- China's government-controlled union body is pressuring Wal-Mart to establish trade unions for thousands of its employees, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions says Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's biggest retailer, has not set up trade unions in any of its branches in China, leaving workers without protection of their legal rights, Xinhua said.

"The best way to protect workers' rights is to sign group contracts with employers through trade unions, which can protect workers' rights involving wage negotiation, vacations, and discharge regulations," Feng Lijun, a Beijing ACFTU official was quoted as saying Sunday by Xinhua.

Arkansas-based Wal-Mart opened its first outlet in Beijing in July, adding to its list of 22 other stores in the country.

Feng said the organization has contacted Wal-Mart several times since its Beijing stores opened but "no progress has been made in establishing trade unions." [...]
Somehow, the idea of a Beijing Wal-Mart is just beyond my comprehension, not to mention that it's just one of 22 other ones in the country. But it's so nice that the Chinese are concerned about the folks who work there:
The All-China Federation of Trade Unions is the only group China's communist government allows to organize workers. Unions do exist, but they are controlled by the government, and those who start independent organizations are routinely arrested and sometimes given harsh sentences as a warning to others.
Nice people, eh?


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