International | The Philippines
Sharply rebuked by its critics as a poor employer and defender of labor rights, Wal-Mart's legacy continues particularly with supplier nations like the Philippines. Similar to their fellow workers in Central America, Bangladesh, and Mexico, the Filipino workers at companies in free trade zones have been underpaid, overworked, abused and exploited. Wal-Mart's response is that it is not responsible for the standards of its supplier factories but as the primary consumer of goods from these suppliers, it is responsible for setting the terms of a humane and economically viable work environment.
Protestors Abused at Chong Won Factory | ||
 |  | Click here to view a slide show of worker abuse on the picket line at the Chong Won garmet factory. |
PUBLICATIONS | ||
 | WRC Assessment of Chong Won Fashion | |
Visit our philippines blog, or browse the latest entries below
- The Behemoth Retailer That Could
Wal-Mart is expanding international expansion. - Wal-Mart’s 2008 Shareholder Resolutions: Human Rights Committee
Resolution #7 on this year’s proxy proposes the establishment of a human rights committee at Wal-Mart. Below, the details of the proposition, why Wal-Mart’s shareholders would benefit and how the company has reacted to the proposal. - The Wal-Mart Connection
For years manufacturers have shifted jobs overseas, where labor is cheaper and safety regulations are lax. The result is no secret: Wal-Mart’s cost pressure on manufacturers and the Chinese factories which supply them is manifesting itself in the form of both unsafe working conditions and unsafe products. - Chong Won Factory Workers Criticize Wal-Mart For Failing to Renew Order
From the Financial Times: Workers in the Philippines who were sacked for going on strike have criticised Wal-Mart for its decision not to renew orders from their factory, in a case that is testing the retailer’s efforts to use its buying power to improve the ethical standards of its global supply chain. - Global Labor Orgs Demand Justice for Chong Won Factory Workers
Six months after receiving reports from the Philippine Workers’ Assistance Center (WAC) of violent attacks by Export Processing Zone police on striking workers, as well the unjust firings of two union leaders and 117 strikers, Wal-Mart has still not taken sufficient action to rectify the situation.
