Chinese Wal-Marts unionize

Labour officials want all 60 retail outlets to be unionized

Sixteen of the 60 Wal-Mart stores in China have unionized this summer, according to a Chinese labour group.

Labour officials in that country want to see all of the Wal-Mart outlets unionize. Wal-Mart employs more than 30,000 people in 30 Chinese cities.

China is pushing to unionize employees at more than half of the country’s foreign companies, which would also increase Communist party influence in these companies.

The unionization at Wal-Mart followed a lobbying campaign by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACTFU), the communist government’s sanctioned umbrella group for unions. The group had accused Wal-Mart of blocking efforts to organize employees.

The Bentonville, Ark.,-based retailer has fought efforts from its employees in other countries to form unions, but said this month it would cooperate with the ACFTU to organize its Chinese employees.

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