In the first Wal-Mart store established on the Chinese mainland,
a group of 42 employees met to establish the US retail giant's
second Chinese trade union, following only a week after the
first.
"We will commit to establishing a stable and harmonious
relationship between the employees and the employer, which would
promote the consistent development of the company," Zhou Liang, a
27-year-old employee who was elected union chairman, said in the
meeting.
Zhou reiterated that employees have the right to form and join
trade unions in China, which is guaranteed by law.
Wal-Mart's Chinese headquarters, also located in Shenzhen, has
been silent on the issue.
"We hadn't been formally notified of the establishment of the
unions and we can't make any comment on it," a public relations
official of Wal-Mart China, surnamed Wang, told China
Daily on Friday.
"We have provided multiple channels for employees to communicate
with the management. They won't feel any difficulty in voicing
their concerns or dissatisfaction with Wal-Mart," Wang said.
The company just commissioned a consulting firm to complete a
staff survey, in which employee concerns from the future
development of the company and corporate culture to daily
arrangements such as the canteen and shuttle services have been
included.
Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, has long resisted the
involvement of unions or other third parties with its work
force.
It gave in under the pressure from All-China Federation of Trade
Unions (ACFTU) and said in a statement that "establishing a union
is a voluntary action of associates" in late 2004.
The first such union was established one week ago, in Quanzhou
of east China's Fujian Province.
(China Daily August 5, 2006)