Press release
19 November 2014
Street vendors join Global Day of Action: hundreds march to Walmart India headquarters
Indian street vendors would need 350 million years to earn the wealth of the supermarket's owners
Global Day of Action taking place in major cities today
Walmart's role in global economic inequality laid bare
A street vendor in India would need to work for a staggering 350 million years to amass the same amount of wealth as the supermarket's owners, the Walton family – this is just one of the findings of new research by UNI Global Union ahead of worldwide protests against the family's role in global inequality today.
"Walmart workers around the world are fed up with barely scraping by on poverty pay, precarious contracts and terrible working conditions" said Head of UNI Global Union Commerce, Alke Boessiger.
"The gross inequality between the earnings of a Best Price worker and the Walton family underscores the injustice of the Walmart business model. Workers in India and the rest of the world believe this is unacceptable. And that is why Walmart workers and their supporters will be out in force from Sao Paulo to South Africa, from Bentonville to Delhi and beyond."
• The Walton family is worth $150 billion – a wealth that grows by more than $8 million a day.
• Coordinated actions will take place in more than 10 countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico, and the U.S.
• The workers' message to Walmart and the Waltons is simple: Walmart must pay its 2.2 million workers at its stores and countless more in its supply chain a living wage and treat them with dignity and not to open any store in the vicinity of 3 kilometres of an existing hawkers market.
Workers, along with members of the UNI Walmart Global Union Alliance, will be taking their grievances to the street, calling on the Walton family who controls Walmart to use their power and wealth to change the company's culture.
In Miami, USA an estimated hundred people, including Walmart workers that are members of the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart), are gathering outside Walmart's Latin American headquarters to ask Walmart and its billionaire owners, the Waltons, to pay its workers $15 an hour and provide full-time, consistent hours. They are standing with other Walmart workers around the world in the Global Day for Decent Work at Walmart and will deliver petitions backing their call for $15 per hour and full-time work. Outside the headquarters, Walmart workers will speak about their experiences under Walmart working conditions.
In Mexico City, Mexico more than 200 people will protest at the Walmart headquarters to denounce the company's handling of the corruption allegations and for treatment of workers.
November 19, 2014 also marks the announcement of Walmart's nomination for the "Lifetime Worst Corporation Award." Walmart receives this nomination primarily because of its abysmal failure to address adequately the safety concerns of workers in Bangladesh and to compensate the families whose loved ones perished more than 18 months ago in the Rana Plaza building collapse where it is believed that Walmart was sourcing garments during the time of the collapse. Online voting is available at www.publiceye.ch/case/walmart.
UNI's global demands of Walmart are simple:
- Living Wages: Extremely low wages along with inconsistent scheduling makes it difficult for workers in many countries to support their families. Fair pay and more hours would allow them to pay their bills and have enough associates in the store to take care of customers.
- Employment Security: The imposition of part-time work, casual employment contracts or – as in the case of Walmart's 1.4 million U.S. workers – no contracts at all, means that many have no employment security. We are asking that full time, permanent work be the rule rather than the exception.
- Respect: Workers who assert their freedom of association in an attempt to resolve issues or improve working conditions frequently face retribution from the company. They are harassed and intimidated by management when they try to voice concerns. We are asking for respect, safety and job security when we speak out.
- Livelihood Security: Retail is the second largest source of livelihood in India. More than forty million people directly depend on retail democracy of India. According the National Policy on Street Vendors of 2004, 2 per cent of India's urban population is engaged in street vending. Walmart business model is in direct competition with these tens of millions of poor Indians who have found refuge in petty street trading. We are asking for no superstores in the three kilometer vicinity of an existing street vendors/hawkers market.
For images and updates throughout the global action day, please follow #WalmartGlobal and visit ActionNetwork.org to view a global map of all activities.
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