International Law

Latest Salvo Fired Against Carrefour in China

By Stan

This one’s a labor case, and it looks ugly. As you recall, last time Carrefour got into hot water, it was because of France’s pre-Olympic rhetoric regarding China’s policy towards certain, uh, how should I phrase this? . . . Western provinces. Boycotts and ultranationalistic silliness ensued.

And now there’s this:

French supermarket chain Carrefour is facing a lawsuit in Beijing for allegedly exploiting their suppliers’ saleswomen.

Sheng Yucang, a 34-year-old saleswoman from Shandong province, filed the lawsuit against Carrefour in Fengtai District People’s Court, asking for social security compensation and overtime pay.

“I am not doing this for myself, I am doing it for all the saleswomen exploited by these foreign-owned supermarkets,” said Sheng, who is back in her hometown in Shandong and asked her lawyer to submit the lawsuit to the court on her behalf yesterday.

I’m already not liking this woman. I understand she is advocating her case in the press and all, but to pull out the nationalism card like that — for shame. You realize that if this case were simple and straightforward (i.e. Carrefour owing overtime and benefits payments to Ms. Sheng), this would not be in the news at all.

No, of course there’s more.
(More)

© Stan for China Hearsay, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
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Full post as published by China Hearsay on December 30, 2009 (boomark / email).