Wal-Mart China sweetens jobs deal after union talks
Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:29am EDT
BEIJING (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Inc has agreed to revise a plan on a payroll cut involving 2,000 mid-level managers across its outlets in China after a trade union stepped in to mediate, state media reported on Friday.
The Shenzhen Federation of Trade Union became involved after the company announced it would eliminate a layer of management in all its stores, leaving affected employees the option of taking a lower position with lower pay, Xinhua news agency said.
Wal-Mart's China unit, based in southern Shenzhen, has 147 outlets and over 50,000 employees.
"The company will give a one-off reward of 3,000 yuan ($440) to those who agree to be transferred to work in other stores, or receive training offered by the company," Wang Tongxin, vice chairman of the union, was cited by Xinhua as saying.
"After talks with the employee representatives, Wal-Mart has taken the concerns of the employees and made big revisions to its plan, which finally reached a win-win situation," said Wang.
An official from the company also confirmed the news.
"After revision, our program is going well. A growing number of employees understood the company's strategy and are willing to accept the arrangement," Chen Lu, a Wal-Mart China public relations official, was quoted as saying.
Wal-Mart first allowed unions into its Chinese stores in 2006, during a government campaign to expand the presence of unions into foreign multinationals.
But Xinhua quoted some employees as saying it would take time to rebuild trust.
"We are not sure now whether the company can keep its promise," an anonymous Wal-Mart manager in Shenzhen was quoted as saying.
(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Nick Macfie)
source: http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USTRE53N1AT20090424
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请同时参阅
http://forums.bizedu.net/index.php?showtopic=988
及
http://forums.bizedu.net/index.php?showtopic=972
sweeten
sweet指甜，sweeten意为和缓。第一段中出现的revise意为修改、修正，显然原先的做法有错。而step in则显示干预方的强硬——沃尔玛前脚高调宣布裁员（与之前的报导相对，这次使用了eliminate这个直接的词），某机构即低调请喝咖啡。注意第二自然段中的报导援引自新华社——关键时刻这440美金的补偿还是得政府出手罩着啊，原先沃尔玛（中国）说的是不爱干走人(If someone wants to go somewhere else [outside Wal-Mart], that is their decision)！
新华社出场，风头转得就快了：
1）该消息得到沃尔玛官方确认，今后想当老赖也没门儿；
2）沃尔玛的公共关系专员表态称原有政策修订后变得更好了(going well)、更多的员工理解了公司政策……云云；
3）工会合法性问题(questioned the Chinese trade unions' independence from the government)也不再提及，而是成为政府行动的一部分(during a government campaign to expand the presence...)，并且倒数第三自然段给人的感觉是沃尔玛对成立工会问题上是积极支持政府的。
但是新华社不好蒙，最后引用一位雇员的话称对沃尔玛的信任得重建，并且还需要时间(take time to rebuild trust)，并且还不能确定这位美国巨头是否可信（not sure whether the company can keep its promise，都上升到道德层面了）。这一招在中国，咱们叫“留校察看，以观后效，抗拒从严”！
沃尔玛痛改前非，修正原有裁员计划方案
-
aRNoLD
- Advanced Member
- Posts: 978
- Joined: May 13th, 2004, 11:10 am
请参考对比以下由华尔街日报发表的同一事件的报道，注意这两条报道中的标题（bow意为鞠躬、弯腰，后加pressure意味着不得不服软），以及与之前两篇相关报导的用语。
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/2009/04/24/wal-mart-bows-to-union-pressure-on-china-restructuring/
April 24, 2009, 3:53 AM ET
Wal-Mart Bows to Union Pressure on China Restructuring
Wal-Mart has made adjustments to its restructuring plans in China after objections from the state-backed All-China Federation of Trade Unions, state media reported today.
Last week, the company said it planned to trim management positions, a move that would have involved 1,400 (about 2.5%) of its employees in China. The affected employees would have faced pay cuts, relocation to other stores or possible job losses. This upset union leaders, who said their members hadn’t been consulted. (Under government pressure, in 2006 the famously union-resistant Wal-Mart allowed unions to form in China).
Following meetings between Wal-Mart representatives and the trade union officials in Shenzhen, where Wal-Mart has its Chinese headquarters, a compromise was reached that will apply to employees across the country, the China Daily reports.
“After talks with the employee representatives, Wal-Mart has taken the concerns of the employees and made big revisions to its plan, which finally reached a win-win situation,” Wang Tongxin, vice-chairman of the Shenzhen Federation of Trade Unions, told the paper.
Employees who agree to change their work locations will now be paid a bonus of 3,000 yuan ($440) and receive assistance with moving and training for their new positions. Store managers whose positions are cut will be promoted and will not face pay cuts, while employees who don’t want to move will not be punished, the report said.
Wal-Mart is still growing in China, where it has added 23 stores so far this year. Altogether, the company had 246 retail outlets in China as of March 31 and more than 54,000 workers.
–Sky Canaves
ref link:
http://chinese.wsj.com/gb/20090424/BCH002979.asp?camp=china
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/2009/04/24/wal-mart-bows-to-union-pressure-on-china-restructuring/
April 24, 2009, 3:53 AM ET
Wal-Mart Bows to Union Pressure on China Restructuring
Wal-Mart has made adjustments to its restructuring plans in China after objections from the state-backed All-China Federation of Trade Unions, state media reported today.
Last week, the company said it planned to trim management positions, a move that would have involved 1,400 (about 2.5%) of its employees in China. The affected employees would have faced pay cuts, relocation to other stores or possible job losses. This upset union leaders, who said their members hadn’t been consulted. (Under government pressure, in 2006 the famously union-resistant Wal-Mart allowed unions to form in China).
Following meetings between Wal-Mart representatives and the trade union officials in Shenzhen, where Wal-Mart has its Chinese headquarters, a compromise was reached that will apply to employees across the country, the China Daily reports.
“After talks with the employee representatives, Wal-Mart has taken the concerns of the employees and made big revisions to its plan, which finally reached a win-win situation,” Wang Tongxin, vice-chairman of the Shenzhen Federation of Trade Unions, told the paper.
Employees who agree to change their work locations will now be paid a bonus of 3,000 yuan ($440) and receive assistance with moving and training for their new positions. Store managers whose positions are cut will be promoted and will not face pay cuts, while employees who don’t want to move will not be punished, the report said.
Wal-Mart is still growing in China, where it has added 23 stores so far this year. Altogether, the company had 246 retail outlets in China as of March 31 and more than 54,000 workers.
–Sky Canaves
ref link:
http://chinese.wsj.com/gb/20090424/BCH002979.asp?camp=china