Canada's Leading Union Joins Global Action for Fairness and Respect at Walmart

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 21, 2013) -

Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this Press Release.

UFCW Canada members joined activists from around the globe today to participate in numerous actions to expose Walmart's bad labour practices, which impact more than two million workers in the global retail industry and at every level of the supply chain.

The actions in Canada were held simultaneously with consumer and worker engagements in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, India, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, El Salvador, the UK and the U.S., and were a central part of the Walmart Week of Global Action, organized by the UNI Global Union Walmart Alliance.

"UFCW Canada is proud to stand with allies and activists around the globe to urge Walmart to become the responsible employer and corporate citizen that it can and should be," says Paul Meinema, president of the UFCW Canada National Council. "Workers at Walmart are standing up to demand the fairness and respect that all workers deserve, and as Canada's leading union we are proud to stand with them."

The Walmart Week of Global Action is dedicated to rallying consumers and employers to strongly urge the Walmart Board of Directors to show real leadership by reforming the company's out-dated and reckless culture of unfair scheduling, and retaliation against employees who speak out.

UFCW Canada and other members of the UNI Global Walmart Alliance are demanding that Walmart:

• Allow workers to organize and join a union without fear of retaliation.

• Provide fair and decent working conditions for all store and supply chain employees.

• Sign a Global Framework Agreement with UNI Global Union that guarantees Walmart workers' rights around the world.

• Sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and pay full and fair compensation to the victims of the Tazreen, Rana Plaza and Aswad factory disasters who work in the company's supply chain.

For images and updates throughout the global action week, please follow #WalmartSolidarity or visit www.facebook.com/Uniglobalunionallianceatwalmart

The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Canada) is Canada's leading and most progressive union, representing more than a quarter of a million retail, food and commercial workers in every province of the county.

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