Wal-Mart Canada today (22 January) dismissed accusations made against the company before Canada’s Supreme Court as “without merit”.
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The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has launched a legal campaign against Wal-Mart, accusing the world’s largest retailer of closing a store in Jonquiere, Quebec, because staff there had unionised.
Although three courts have already found in Wal-Mart’s favour, the NUPGE has brought the case to Canada’s Supreme Court.
“The giant retailer’s actions violated the right to freedom of association, which workers are guaranteed in Canada by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” the union said in a statement.
However, Wal-Mart Canada has denied this allegation, arguing that it took the decision to close the store for economic reasons.
“The store was already losing money and on top of that the union wanted to add another layer of costs that diminished its ability to become profitable in the future. In the Supreme Court case the union is arguing that the store closed because it was unionised. That is not the case,” a spokesperson for Wal-Mart Canada told just-food.
According to Wal-Mart, the decision to close the store after bargaining sessions with the union failed to end in agreement.
