Wal-Mart says no personnel in Germany, will have to answer in court

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.union-network.org/UNIsite/Sectors/Commerce/Multinationals/Wal-Mart_Germany_to_labour_court_during_its_last_weeks.htm

Wal-Mart says no to personnel representatives training in Germany, will have to answer in court

Wal-Mart tries to deny its German personnel representatives their right to participate in training sessions. The unionists had wanted to add to their knowledge and skills with a view of being better able to handle their tasks in the ongoing process of selling the company to the Metro Group. The Bentonville multinational will now be taken to court by its own workers, in what could be characterised as an expected end to its failed adventure.

Germany's largest trade union, UNI-affiliated ver.di, takes a rather ironical tone in today's press statement. During what will probably be the last few weeks of their engagement in Germany, the company whose "management in our country has let a few hundred million Euros run into the sand want to save a few hundred Euros at the expense of its workers", the ver.di statement reads.

- And one is not sold every day, the union says.

Now, the labour court will decide whether Wal-Mart has to pay for the training of its shop stewards, or whether they can get out of this obligation. Lawyers in Germany, whom the union has talked with, seem all to agree that the company will finally have to dig out the wallet from its deep pockets.

FULL story at link above.

[marmar]

1. Germany, you'll be better off without them...

That's one American import you really don't want.

[lebkuchen]

5. Germany wishes it had Trader Joe's instead.

[Robbien]

2. This story is confusing

Walmart sold it stores to the German Metro Group and now the employees are sueing Walmart because they think Walmart's training was no good and they want Walmart to pick up the cost of that training?

Is that what is going on here?

[Richard Steele]

3. It's not sold yet, the workers still work for WalMart.

The actual sale is an 'ongoing process'.

[intaglio]

4. Oh boy I do hope the Germans jump on this

Here in Europe union laws are a LOT tougher than I gather they are in the US. Unions have the right to audit training, to take part in it, to approve the materials used in training. If the unions have been excluded from training in any way then Walmart will have to pay ... lots with any luck :evilgrin: