Hmmm the main thing I got from that was how insanely shit the wages are. I know in Tesco at us you get at least 10 euro an hour, and LIDL pay slightly more basic which I could never get my head around since they are the budget alternative.

Yeah, because everyone knows that the best way to accomplish things is to be as one-sided as possible; you know, leaders make decisions for everyone else, and no one has a say in it. Kings if Industry rule -- that's the American way! We're all about supporting Kings!

yes because that's exactly how walmart is run

Well, isn't that what you propose? That only one side gets a say?

"But it's OK because the King is benevolent" doesn't sound like a really sound policy to me.

Never did I say that. I am saying however that unions would do more harm then good.

Let's be fair here. Jim is right in saying that unions as "benevolent king" are not intrinsically different from employers as "benevolent king." The practical implications of employee unions at Wal-Mart are another topic for discussion.

I didn't say replace the management with the union -- I think that there should be both sides. Management isn't always right, and unions aren't always right. Checks and balances are always best.

I'm agreeing management is not always right, but the answer is not a union.

I agree with Jim here, Wal-Mart never needed to be unionized. Companies are competitive enough now to offer people good salaries and health care, which defeated the purpose of unions (except for more labor-intensive work such as mining).

Plus it seems the ones trying so hard to unionize Wal-Mart are just trying to cash in on its million+ employees (imagine the union dues!).

Unions are important for more than just negotiating contracts. They help employees who may have been unfairly fired, and can represent employee concerns in areas like how many hours they can work and so on.

Let's not forget that Wal-Mart has been sued successfully more than once for cheating its employees out of hours they worked. They're not super-evil like some left wingers want you to believe, but they also aren't lily white perfect like some right wingers want you to believe.

I always think that the best way to resolve problems is by having equal representation on both sides. Try to defend yourself in court some time against an experienced attorney. Wal-Mart has all the attorneys and experienced management personnel it can afford (which is a lot). I don't see how it is fair to argue that the employees shouldn't have any representation at all against all that.