In the recent South Carolina debate between Obama, Clinton, and Edwards the exchange that set off the fireworks was Obama's reference to Sen. Hilary Clintons 1986-1992 term on the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart. Clinton hit back with a reference to Obama's legal work for a Chicago real estate magnate now under indictment. Most of the commentary on this blog has been about Mr. Rezko and the his relationship with Obama . The relationship between Wal-Mart and the Clintons has been largely ignored.
US-based Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer with revenues of nearly USD 300 billion, has been harshly criticized for its labour practices. Norway's Council on Ethics claimed that an "extensive body of material indicates that Wal-Mart consistently and systematically employs minors in contravention of international rules, that working conditions at many of its suppliers are dangerous or health-hazardous, that workers are pressured into working overtime without compensations, that the company systematically discriminates against women in pay," and that attempts to organize workers into unions are stopped.
The council's assessments involve Wal-Mart's business operations in the US and Canada and at its suppliers in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Lesotho, Kenya, Uganda, Namibia, Malawi, Madagascar, Swaziland, Bangladesh, China and Indonesia.
The council and Norway's central bank wrote to Wal-Mart last fall, asking them to comment on the allegations of violations of human rights. The Norwegian Finance Ministry said Wal-Mart never responded.
Aftenposten 6/17/2006
The world's largest company is suffering yet another blow to its global reputation as Sweden follows Norway in blacklisting Wal-Mart stock from the portfolio of a national pension fund, citing persistent human rights violations.
Sweden blacklists "Mall-Wart" stockThe Swedish Second National Pension Fund has announced that it has sold its SEK 300m (USD 40.7m) stake in Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Mexico. The fund complained that it has "since 2003 written letters, voted at shareholder meetings and taken part in an investor group to influence the company, but there has been no change in the company's view of labour rights."
Bits of News.com 9/8/2006
Simply put Hilary Clintons six year term as corporate director of Wal-Mart when she was first lady of Arkansas potentially made her directly responsible for that corporations massive abuses of global labor standards on child Labor, forced labor, and basic worker rights. Any legal work she did for Wal-Mart, or donations from Wal-Mart executives to her or husband's campaigns should not obscure the basic fact that a corporate director can in a variety of circumstances be held liable for the crimes of a corporation.
Sen. Clinton's hit back at Obama has sucessfully diverted much of the debate down a blind alley.