Wal-Mart’s chief administrator for ethical standards defended the corporation’s often-targeted labor practices in Copley Formal Lounge on Wednesday, drawing about 20 students to fill Red Square in protest.
During a speech, Wal-Mart’s Vice President of Ethical Standards Rajan Kamalanathan acknowledged criticisms that have been lobbed against the corporation for its treatment of employees, but said that Wal-Mart has begun to raise working standards in its suppliers’ factories.
“Wal-Mart is not that axis of evil people say it is,” Kamalanathan said. “We will tell you we want to learn and do things better.”
About 20 protestors, led by members of Georgetown Solidarity Committee, demonstrated in Red Square during the speech, countering his claims that Wal-Mart is becoming more socially responsible.
“Some of the things he said in truth were just as egregious as the negative rumors you hear,” said Matthew Wagner (COL ’11), who attended the speech.
Several protestors led cheers, chants, dances and a parody of the Garth Brooks song “Friends in Low Places” (renamed “Friends with Low Wages”), while others handed out fliers to passersby. They declared they would not wear Wal-Mart’s clothes on their “heads, shoulders, knees and toes,” in reference to the well-known children’s song. Demonstrators called for living wages, health insurance, improved working conditions, shorter hours and the right to organize for factory workers of Wal-Mart suppliers.
Chessa Gross (SFS ’10), a member of GSC, said she was disappointed that Georgetown invited Kamalanathan to speak on campus. “[It] doesn’t seem like it’s in line with Georgetown’s social justice values,” she said. “When you’re making such enormous profits, why can’t you afford to share some with your workers?”
The speech was sponsored by the Mortara Center for International Studies, USAID’s Global Development Alliance, The Society for International Development and Development Alternatives, Inc.
The student protest could be heard from as far away as Tondorf Drive and Healy Hall.
“I think we got the message across,” Gross said. “Consumers have the power to change this.”
In his speech, Kamalanathan said Wal-Mart maintains factory workers’ right to unionize, despite accusations that the company engages in union-busting activities.
“Wal-Mart supports the freedom of association,” he said.
Kamalanathan said that Wal-Mart would not terminate relations with a factory that employs some child laborers but that it would “collaborate with factories” to ensure fair working conditions, wages and education for the children.
According to Wal-Mart’s Standard for Suppliers code, which all suppliers, their contractors and subcontractors must agree to follow, “Wal-Mart will not tolerate the use of child labor. Wal-Mart will not accept products from suppliers or subcontractors who use child labor.”
Some merchandise sold in Wal-Mart stores is manufactured by low-wage workers in factories in countries such as the Dominican Republic and other Latin American states. According to Wal-Mart’s 2006 Report on Ethical Sourcing, 16,700 audits of 8,873 factories were conducted, with 0.2 percent of the inspections leading to factories being permanently banned from producing merchandise for sale at Wal-Mart. Another 2.1 percent of audits led to one-year suspensions. An additional 91.9 percent of audits found medium-risk or high-risk violations.