Publications

Ethical Standards and Working Conditions in Wal-Mart's Supply Chain

Publication Date: 

October 24, 2007

On the second anniversary of the “21st Century Leadership” speech made by Mr. Lee Scott, Wal-Mart CEO, the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) releases its research report on the Ethical Standards and Working Conditions in Wal-Mart’s Supply Chain. In an effort to raise awareness and educate people about the harsh working conditions that many Wal-Mart worker’s suffer worldwide, ILRF conducted an analysis compiling information from Wal-Mart’s Ethical Standards Program from 2003 through 2006.

Wal-Mart's Sustainability Initiative: A Civil Society Critique

Publication Date: 

September 6, 2007

This report was coordinated by the Big Box Collaborative, which brings together representatives from labor, environmental and public health groups, consumer advocates, shareholder activists, international trade and labor rights groups, faith-based organizations, communities, and others from around the world in a collaborative approach to transforming the Big Box Retail Industry and, in particular, Wal-Mart.

Expectations in relation to Factory Closures and Mass-Dismissals

Publication Date: 

September 1, 2007

The aim of this CCC E-Bulletin is to define the issues at stake to prevent closures. Secondly this bulletin looks into the issues at stake when garment factories close or significantly reduce their production and therefore drastically reduce the number of employees. This bulletin also seeks to provide an overview of the existing regulations and agreements regarding closure and workers' rights in the international labour rights context. The emphasis of this bulletin is on the role of the brand name companies and retailers that find themselves at the top of the supply chain.

Child Bondage Continues in Indian Cotton Supply Chain

Publication Date: 

September 1, 2007

ILRF, along with international partners including OECD Watch, India Committee of the Netherlands, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe and Eine Welt Netz NRW, released a report focused on recent trends in employment of child labor on cottonseed farms in India. The report estimates that roughly 416,460 children, out of which 224,960 are under the age of 14, are still working on cottonseed farms in the four major producing states in India, representing an increase from the 2003-2004 harvest season.

Letter of Concern to Wal-Mart re: Global Social Compliance Program

Publication Date: 

August 30, 2007

Dear Mr. Scott,

We are concerned with the recent initiative developed by Carrefour, Metro, Migros, Tesco, and Wal-Mart. The Global Social Compliance Programme is being lauded as a new effort to create a unified code of best practices to improve labor standards and create a new efficiency in the auditing process. However, we have several reservations regarding the code.

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