From Reuters:
Workers in six countries filed a class-action lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Tuesday, claiming the world's largest retailer overlooks sweatshop conditions at toy and clothing factories from China to Nicaragua.The suit, filed in California state court in Los Angeles, lists as plaintiffs 15 workers in Bangladesh, Swaziland, Indonesia, China and Nicaragua. They claim they were paid below minimum wage, forced to work unpaid overtime and in some cases even endured beatings by supervisors.
The lawsuit also lists four California plaintiffs, including two unionized workers at Kroger Co. unit Ralph's and Safeway Ind. grocery stores, who claim Wal-Mart's entry into Southern California forced their employers to reduce pay and benefits.
Statement by Paul Blank, WakeUpWalMart.com Campaign Director, on today’s “Wal-Mart Sweatshop Suit”
Today, the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF) filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart on behalf of sweatshop workers at the retail giant’s suppliers in China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nicaragua and Swaziland.
The lawsuit was also filed on behalf of a group of workers from California businesses who compete with Wal-Mart because they lost pay and benefits when their employers forced them to make wage and benefit concessions in order to compete with Wal-Mart’s sweatshop workers abroad.
“We look forward to working with the ILRF to stand up for workers who are being hurt by Wal-Mart’s policies both here and abroad,” stated Blank. “This lawsuit demonstrates that Wal-Mart is not only leading the race to the bottom in the U.S. but is leading the race to the bottom around the world. As the world’s largest company, Wal-Mart should be setting the standard for corporate responsibility; instead, it is needlessly exploiting workers to gain competitive advantage.
Posted by Brendan - September 13, 2005 04:08 PM - In The News