Union leader likens Wal-Mart to wife-beater after company places ad in papers
By DONALD MCKENZIE 2005-02-14 17:09:00
MONTREAL (CP) - A union leader likened Wal-Mart Canada to a wife-beater Monday after the retail giant placed an ad in several Quebec newspapers praising its employees as the backbone of the company.
The full-page ad describes Wal-Mart employees as the "cornerstone" of a company that has found the last few days "very trying."
Wal-Mart's move came after its announcement last week it will close a Quebec store where unionized employees were involved in negotiations for a first collective agreement.
Union officials wasted little time blasting the ad as condescending.
"It's like a guy who betrays his wife and beats his wife and then the next day gives her flowers for Valentine's Day," said Yvon Bellemare of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
"The best present for Valentine's Day for employees is respect to give them satisfactory salaries and working conditions."
Wal-Mart officials were not immediately available for comment.
In announcing the closure of the store in Saguenay, Wal-Mart said the outlet is not profitable and that the union's contract demands would have meant the hiring of at least 30 more full-time workers.
But union officials accused Wal-Mart of engaging in union-busting with its plans to close the store in May.
Wal-Mart's ad, which ironically did not run in Saguenay's daily newspaper, says the company has found the last few days "very trying" and seeks to reassure its employees they are its "biggest strength."
"Never let anyone or the media tell you otherwise," the statement reads.
"You represent the cornerstone of our organization and we believe it is a privilege to have such an exceptional team."
Another union official called the ad insulting when it is the workers who are losing their jobs.
"They've been threatening this closure ever since we got the accreditation (last summer)," said union spokeswoman Marie-Josée Lemieux.
"How can they now say they (employees) are its biggest strength?
"Quebec isn't the Far West where the cowboy with the biggest revolver can do what he wants."
Employees at a Wal-Mart store east of Montreal have also been accredited but do not have a contract either.
Quebec's economic development minister waded into the debate Monday, saying the closing of the Saguenay store won't be an economic disaster for the region 250 kilometres north of Quebec City.
"Those jobs will be recovered ... because people will buy those products elsewhere," said Michel Audet.
"The problem is bad for those employees but for the overall area it's maybe not so bad because people will help small-and medium-sized companies in the retail industry.
"It's not necessarily bad for the region in general."
Henri Massé, president of the Quebec Federation of Labour, said Wal-Mart was trying to play catch-up with the ad.
"They've done this because they made a very big mistake," Masse said. "They've decided to close a store that was making some good profits, saying that wasn't the situation.
"They thought people would accept this kind of argument and they are seeing today that people are not that crazy. They (Quebecers) don't believe this kind of story."
The labour movement is expected to file charges of bad-faith bargaining and unfair labour practices with the Quebec Labour Relations Commission this week.
