Wal-Mart launches probe into labor abuse allegations

[Omaha Steve]

Source: China Daily

By Chen Hong United States retailing giant Wal-Mart yesterday launched its own investigation into the findings of a New-York based human rights group, which levied serious labor abuse allegations against the company after inspecting five of its supplier factories in China.

"We take such reports very seriously," a statement from Wal-Mart said.

"We will take prompt remedial action if our investigations confirm any of the alleged findings."

A China Labor Watch (CLW) report, which was made public on Wednesday, alleged that employees in a number of Chinese supplier factories of the US retailer have been forced to work up to 77 hours a week in "poor working conditions".

As the world's largest retailer, "Wal-Mart leverages its massive product orders to purchase goods at low prices, and the workers have to bear the financial burden", CLW said in a statement.



Read more: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/27/conten...

[JI7]

1. hahhaha

[Robb]

2. Amazing.

They're outsourcing their abuse of labor.

[tomm2thumbs]

3. 'uh, yea, we'll look into it'... (speeding up the hammers on the slave ship)

hurry, everyone needs more cheap junk to fill their houses!

[Iwillnevergiveup]

4. Bbbut, OmahaSteve

some people in the Younited States HAVE to shop at WalMart 'cause it's the onliest place they have.

K&R

[dflprincess]

5. Pot, meet Kettle

I noticed that Walmart was also opened on Thanksgiving. Another reason to hate them.

[47of74]

6. I have the following for sale for those who believe Wal-Mart

[skoalyman]

7. do you take paypal

lol jk

[robo50]

9. I'll take one of them thar bridges and a chunck of that swampland IF

if Walmart does anything to correct the labor problem.

[8 track mind]

12. could you check your inventory and see if you have any

beach front property on mars? Bridges and Swampland are, well, ok in their own right, but I'm looking for something a bit more eccentric.

Thanx!

[greiner3]

8. I would imagine it will be like a republican probe;

Trying to find out how the leak happened.

[jmowreader]

10. I actually believe Walmart will at least try to fix this

And it's not because Walmart is this big altruistic wonderland where the regular man comes to get great prices on everything. Rather, Mom ain't gonna buy Walmart's made-in-China crap if she knows it was made by a 10-year-old who slept half an hour a day, got up, ate a bowl of cold poison, walked 37 miles to work, worked 28 hours a day, paid the foreman for the privilege of working, and when she got home her dad killed her every night.

They'll probably have a huge ceremony in which they loudly and publicly fire the two or three worst of the worst suppliers, open a desk at their global purchasing office to investigate allegations made by people like China Labor Watch, Human Rights Watch, etc., etc., etc., then basically just go on with their lives.

Now here's the WORST part of the whole thing: China Labor Watch can sit there and investigate Walmart all they want because it's a huge target and fun besides, but if you're buying Chinese product assume it's coming out of a sweatshop. Everyone who buys Chinese goods buys sweatshop goods, because until the fucking Chinese Government gets out there and starts dealing with the Wild West aspect of its labor situation in its typical heavy-handed manner, every Chinese factory will be a sweatshop.

[SergeStorms]

11. There's a large segment of American society............

that doesn't give a rat's ass if their tube socks are produced in Chinese sweat shops, just as long as they can get them CHEAP! In other words, there's a large segment of American society with their heads up their asses. This is the segment that usually votes for Republicans as well. Thinking beyond the price tag is not their strong suit.

[Jackpine Radical]

13. The Gubmint better keep its hands offa my Social Security

an stay offa WalMart's case so'z I kin git my cheap drugs that Medicare won't pay for. Gotta run now an gitta new hat at Walmart for the Teabaggers meetin. There's a hot lady that always comes to the meetin. That blue hair o hern is a real turn on, an she wears the sexiest damn tennis shoes…