By Clay Risen

Wal-Mart has been in the news a lot recently, with three announcements designed to convince the public that it is finally responding to its critics. In a speech to his employees on Monday, CEO Lee Scott promised to reduce greenhouse gases at the company's stores by 20 percent; roll out a new, cut-rate health-care plan; and push Congress to raise the minimum wage.

"With courage and commitment to change, we will be at our best and remain true to the legacy of the company Sam Walton founded some 43 years ago," he said.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will start holding its suppliers more accountable for environmental and social standards at foreign factories as public expectations in the United States rise, Chief Executive Lee Scott said Thursday.

Scott told suppliers at a business conference that the public has high expectations of the world's largest retailer. The company has come under mounting fire from organized opponents over issues including the environmental and labor standards of low-cost manufacturers it buys from overseas.

By Michelle V. Rafter



Such initiatives may be a good way to identify abuses at overseas factories, but they do little to change long-term labor practices, one observer says

By RHÉAL SÉGUIN

Quebec - The Quebec Labour Board has ruled that the closing of a Wal-Mart store this year amounted to a reprisal against unionized workers and has ordered the company to compensate former employees.

The labour board concluded that Wal-Mart Canada, Inc., failed to prove that the closing of its store in Jonquière in April was "real, genuine and definitive" as required under the Quebec Labour Code.