Unionization Spreads Across Wal-Mart China

Two stories in the Chinese press last week show that collective bargaining agreements are spreading across Wal-Mart’s China stores like wildfire. Several stores even had union card signing ceremonies, showing that employees take pride in their union membership.

The unions at Wal-Mart’s store in China are made possible in large part by China’s powerful retail labor laws. Strong governmental involvement has thus far been the most effective tool in the quest for Wal-Mart unionization. While workers in China bargain collectively for better pay and better benefits, politicians in the U.S. work to strengthen labor laws here so unionization is not just a possibility, but something workers can accomplish and take pride in.

900 Wal-Mart Employees in Wuhan Sign Collective Contract [Sina Finance]

On August 26, officials from the Wal-Mart store on Xudong Street and the store on Zhongshan Street in Wuhan, Hubei and the local labor union held a collective contract signing ceremony…

This collective contract involves nearly 900 Wal-Mart employees from two stores.  The contract addresses essential issues such as wage increases, paid vacation, social security, worker safety, etc. with clear-cut provisions.  The contract includes a mechanism to collectively consult on wages.  For 2008 and 2009 full-time employee wages will increase an average of 8%.  Workers with at least three years may sign the contract without a fixed deadline with provisions on salary, vacation, social security, working women’s rights, benefits, protections, etc. and employee welfare.  “Henceforth, we employees have the right to demand wage increases,” a labor union representative from the Zhongshan store expressed.

Wage Talks Defend Employee Interests, Three Wal-Mart Stores in Changsha Sign Collective Contract [Sina News]

Presently, Hunan has 27,000 companies that have agreed to collective contracts – establishing mechanisms to evaluate equality.  For collective contracts, labor unions and workers elect representatives to consult and negotiate on issues such as wage and hour, work conditions, rest and vacations, worker health and safety, insurance, etc.

Posted by Research Team on Tuesday, September 02, 2008

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