PHUKET: A longtime Walmart shrimp supplier, certified by the Global Aquaculture Alliance, engaged in serious violations of Thai law and international human rights standards, according to a new briefing paper released today by Warehouse Workers United and the International Labor Rights Forum.
The brief, entitled 'The Walmart Effect: Child and Worker Rights Violations at Narong Seafood,' documents a number of serious violations of Thai law and international human rights standards at Narong Seafood, a model shrimp processing company and longtime supplier to Walmart.
Violations at Narong's principle shrimp processing facility in Samutsakorn, Thailand, include utilising underage workers, nonpayment of wages, charging workers excessive fees for work permits, and an ineffective auditing regime.
Workers interviewed at Narong reported that until the factory began to experience a slowdown in production due to diseased shrimp, roughly 20 underage workers were employed at the factory.
According to interviewees, most underage workers reported to work during the night shift along with 100 to 200 undocumented migrant workers employed at the factory. Interviewees also reported that during audits managers instructed underage workers who work during the day not to come to work.
In recent years, problems in Thailand's shrimp processing industry have received considerable international attention.
In response Walmart, the largest retailer of shrimp in the US, established a partnership with the Global Aquaculture Alliance, an industry trade group, to create the Best Aquaculture Practices standards to certify that its shrimp suppliers adhere to environmental and social certification standards.
Although BAP standards primarily focus on food quality and environmental issues, its standards do contain language on the treatment of workers.
BAP standards for treatment of workers include specific language concerning minimum wage, use of underage workers, forced labor, and human trafficking.
''The case of Narong seafood casts serious doubt on the effectiveness of the auditing programs of the Global Aquaculture Alliance and Walmart,'' said Judy Gearhart, executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum.
''If workers are not empowered to address violations, if factory owners can evade detection with impunity, if audits are announced and never occur at night how can we trust that this system can protect workers, consumer health or environmental sustainability.''
The briefing paper calls on Walmart to begin working with labor and human rights activists in Thailand to ensure the rights of migrant workers who produce shrimp for Walmart are respected.
BRIEFING PAPER CONCLUSION
THIS BRIEF raises questions about working conditons at Narong Seafood and more importantly about the industry's ability to self-monitor when the incentives to exploit workers are so strong.
The case of Narong seafood casts serious doubt on the effectiveness of the auditing programs of the Global Aquaculture Alliance and Walmart.
If workers are not empowered to address violations, if factory owners can evade detection with impunity, if audits are unannounced and never occur at night, how can we trust that this system can protect workers, consumer health or environmental sustainability While it is easy to blame factory owners or the Government of Thailand for not protecting migrant workers, that is only half the story.
Companies like Walmart wield tremendous power in the global marketplace. Walmart's annual revenue, exceeds Thailand's GDP by some US$77 billion.
As the largest buyer of shrimp, Walmart is able to exert powerful downward pressure on the price it pays. This pressure inevitably leads to workers' rights violations as factory owners are forced to cut corners and evade Walmart's own self-monitoring system.
In spite of these findings, we call on Walmart to NOT drop Narong as a supplier. Dismissing Narong as a supplier would hurt workers at the facility and do little to address wider problems in the industry.
Instead, we call on Walmart to work with labor and human rights activists in Thailand to ensure the rights of the workers who produce shrimp for Walmart in Thailand are respected.
The brief, entitled 'The Walmart Effect: Child and Worker Rights Violations at Narong Seafood,' documents a number of serious violations of Thai law and international human rights standards at Narong Seafood, a model shrimp processing company and longtime supplier to Walmart.
Violations at Narong's principle shrimp processing facility in Samutsakorn, Thailand, include utilising underage workers, nonpayment of wages, charging workers excessive fees for work permits, and an ineffective auditing regime.
Workers interviewed at Narong reported that until the factory began to experience a slowdown in production due to diseased shrimp, roughly 20 underage workers were employed at the factory.
According to interviewees, most underage workers reported to work during the night shift along with 100 to 200 undocumented migrant workers employed at the factory. Interviewees also reported that during audits managers instructed underage workers who work during the day not to come to work.
In recent years, problems in Thailand's shrimp processing industry have received considerable international attention.
In response Walmart, the largest retailer of shrimp in the US, established a partnership with the Global Aquaculture Alliance, an industry trade group, to create the Best Aquaculture Practices standards to certify that its shrimp suppliers adhere to environmental and social certification standards.
Although BAP standards primarily focus on food quality and environmental issues, its standards do contain language on the treatment of workers.
BAP standards for treatment of workers include specific language concerning minimum wage, use of underage workers, forced labor, and human trafficking.
''The case of Narong seafood casts serious doubt on the effectiveness of the auditing programs of the Global Aquaculture Alliance and Walmart,'' said Judy Gearhart, executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum.
''If workers are not empowered to address violations, if factory owners can evade detection with impunity, if audits are announced and never occur at night how can we trust that this system can protect workers, consumer health or environmental sustainability.''
The briefing paper calls on Walmart to begin working with labor and human rights activists in Thailand to ensure the rights of migrant workers who produce shrimp for Walmart are respected.
BRIEFING PAPER CONCLUSION
THIS BRIEF raises questions about working conditons at Narong Seafood and more importantly about the industry's ability to self-monitor when the incentives to exploit workers are so strong.
The case of Narong seafood casts serious doubt on the effectiveness of the auditing programs of the Global Aquaculture Alliance and Walmart.
If workers are not empowered to address violations, if factory owners can evade detection with impunity, if audits are unannounced and never occur at night, how can we trust that this system can protect workers, consumer health or environmental sustainability While it is easy to blame factory owners or the Government of Thailand for not protecting migrant workers, that is only half the story.
Companies like Walmart wield tremendous power in the global marketplace. Walmart's annual revenue, exceeds Thailand's GDP by some US$77 billion.
As the largest buyer of shrimp, Walmart is able to exert powerful downward pressure on the price it pays. This pressure inevitably leads to workers' rights violations as factory owners are forced to cut corners and evade Walmart's own self-monitoring system.
In spite of these findings, we call on Walmart to NOT drop Narong as a supplier. Dismissing Narong as a supplier would hurt workers at the facility and do little to address wider problems in the industry.
Instead, we call on Walmart to work with labor and human rights activists in Thailand to ensure the rights of the workers who produce shrimp for Walmart in Thailand are respected.
Since the goal of Walmart is making money, I m pretty sure that they will NOT "work with labor and human rights".
Posted by Fabien on June 7, 2013 11:21