Wal-Mart Gets a Taste of The Picket Line - 06/28/06

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/3606

Wal-Mart Gets a Taste of The Picket Line - 06/28/06

By Jesse Russell

Wal-Mart is about to experience its first strike line. Disputes over pay and collective bargaining are at issue for Asda, a British supermarket chain owned by the world's largest retailer. A five-day walkout has been planned starting Friday for 20 Wal-Mart-Asda distribution centers in Great Britain. The strike comes just in time for England's World Cup quarter final match on Saturday - representatives of the company say the strike will have little impact on stores. The chain was fined $1.5 million U.S. dollars in February by a labor tribunal who found that the company promised a 10 percent raise to employees who would be willing to give up collective bargaining rights. The union has also threatened to file suit against firms that supply temporary workers to the distribution centers. According to that country's Recruitment and Employment Confederation, it is illegal for temporary workers to be supplied during industrial action. The union has also vowed to arm employees at the gates with video cameras to make sure no labor laws are broken. Meanwhile Asda is filing an injunction today to try and prevent the workers from walking off the job alleging that former employees of the company were included in the strike vote.
Wal-Mart | Posted 06/27/2006 - 5:51pm