Tesco And 7-11 Enslaving Thai's To Work 9 Hour Days For 220 Baht

[simple1]

Man you are lucky you had the FREEDOM and rights to form a Union. People who even THINK twice about forming a union or organizing ones for Tesco or 7 11 have been murdered in the past. we are not dealing with family friendly shopping centers here, these are organized crime outfits comitting capital crimes of Capitalism worldwide!

Please point us to info that unions activists representing staff at Tesco/7-11 have allegedly been been murdered. The URL below talks to abuses of union members in Thailand, but does not talk to murder of union activists

http://www.unhcr.org...d8892023,0.html

Below is the URL that is a news report of union discussions with Tesco Thailand Management. It's true that in the past Tesco has been anti union in Thailand, this issue has been raised at Tesco's AGM in the UK. If it was alleged that Tesco Thailand was involved in the murder of union activists in Thailand it would make international news and their would be investigations requested by UK shareholders and the Board.

http://www.uniglobal...12579BC00344063

7-11 is Japanese owned & there is a tradition of unions in Japan. 7-11 in Thailand have a franchise model so would assume the establishment of workers rights representatives would be difficult. Maybe their are union representatives in their distribution/supply chain operations. Again being a multinational it would make global news if union activists were murdered and investigations would be launched.

[noob7]

Man you are lucky you had the FREEDOM and rights to form a Union. People who even THINK twice about forming a union or organizing ones for Tesco or 7 11 have been murdered in the past. we are not dealing with family friendly shopping centers here, these are organized crime outfits comitting capital crimes of Capitalism worldwide!

Please point us to info that unions activists representing staff at Tesco/7-11 have allegedly been been murdered. The URL below talks to abuses of union members in Thailand, but does not talk to murder of union activists

http://www.unhcr.org...d8892023,0.html

Below is the URL that is a news report of union discussions with Tesco Thailand Management. It's true that in the past Tesco has been anti union in Thailand, this issue has been raised at Tesco's AGM in the UK. If it was alleged that Tesco Thailand was involved in the murder of union activists in Thailand it would make international news and their would be investigations requested by UK shareholders and the Board.

http://www.uniglobal...12579BC00344063

7-11 is Japanese owned & there is a tradition of unions in Japan. 7-11 in Thailand have a franchise model so would assume the establishment of workers rights representatives would be difficult. Maybe their are union representatives in their distribution/supply chain operations. Again being a multinational it would make global news if union activists were murdered and investigations would be launched.

In Thailand it's much easier, to stop people effectively. No murder needed: lèse majesté

[angsta]

You know that Tesco ask for a degree...to stack shelf's in Udon Thani. No shit.

Anyone who thinks 220 baht is ok for a 9 hour working day is an idiot.

Just sayin.

Having worked for FMCG's for years in the UK I know Tesco and 7-11 ain't hurting. A fair days wage for a fair days work is really not that much to ask in 2012.

[simple1]

Man you are lucky you had the FREEDOM and rights to form a Union. People who even THINK twice about forming a union or organizing ones for Tesco or 7 11 have been murdered in the past. we are not dealing with family friendly shopping centers here, these are organized crime outfits comitting capital crimes of Capitalism worldwide!

Please point us to info that unions activists representing staff at Tesco/7-11 have allegedly been been murdered. The URL below talks to abuses of union members in Thailand, but does not talk to murder of union activists

http://www.unhcr.org...d8892023,0.html

Below is the URL that is a news report of union discussions with Tesco Thailand Management. It's true that in the past Tesco has been anti union in Thailand, this issue has been raised at Tesco's AGM in the UK. If it was alleged that Tesco Thailand was involved in the murder of union activists in Thailand it would make international news and their would be investigations requested by UK shareholders and the Board.

http://www.uniglobal...12579BC00344063

7-11 is Japanese owned & there is a tradition of unions in Japan. 7-11 in Thailand have a franchise model so would assume the establishment of workers rights representatives would be difficult. Maybe their are union representatives in their distribution/supply chain operations. Again being a multinational it would make global news if union activists were murdered and investigations would be launched.

In Thailand it's much easier, to stop people effectively. No murder needed: lèse majesté

What's the linkage with labour rights & lèse majesté law?

[omnilangur]

People go missing and die slowly or die from unknown causes all the time. People in control of government here in Thailand are also huge shareholders of the biggest MN corporations here as well. Most of the time they are just fired and blacklisted before they can even start organizing within a single store....

[cowslip]

Japanese Unions and European unions are not the same animal.

[downtown]

the mastermind behind it all is actually jimmy hoffa; also the head of the illuminati

[cowslip]

the mastermind behind it all is actually jimmy hoffa; also the head of the illuminati

What is "it all" - ??

[downtown]

the prominent high ranking members of tesco and 7-11 who are murdered everyday as reported in BP. the inextricable connection between percentage of chinese people wearing glasses and china's majestic rise to superpowerdom

[theslime]

Man you are lucky you had the FREEDOM and rights to form a Union. People who even THINK twice about forming a union or organizing ones for Tesco or 7 11 have been murdered in the past. we are not dealing with family friendly shopping centers here, these are organized crime outfits comitting capital crimes of Capitalism worldwide!

Please point us to info that unions activists representing staff at Tesco/7-11 have allegedly been been murdered. The URL below talks to abuses of union members in Thailand, but does not talk to murder of union activists

http://www.unhcr.org...d8892023,0.html

Below is the URL that is a news report of union discussions with Tesco Thailand Management. It's true that in the past Tesco has been anti union in Thailand, this issue has been raised at Tesco's AGM in the UK. If it was alleged that Tesco Thailand was involved in the murder of union activists in Thailand it would make international news and their would be investigations requested by UK shareholders and the Board.

http://www.uniglobal...12579BC00344063

7-11 is Japanese owned & there is a tradition of unions in Japan. 7-11 in Thailand have a franchise model so would assume the establishment of workers rights representatives would be difficult. Maybe their are union representatives in their distribution/supply chain operations. Again being a multinational it would make global news if union activists were murdered and investigations would be launched.

Correct me if I.m wrong but,doesn,t CP own 7/11 Thailand.

[IsaanAussie]

the prominent high ranking members of tesco and 7-11 who are murdered everyday as reported in BP. the inextricable connection between percentage of chinese people wearing glasses and china's majestic rise to superpowerdom

Oh fisher of men. The lightest of touches gets the most bites

[cowslip]

7/11 is mostly a franchise operation.

[simple1]

Man you are lucky you had the FREEDOM and rights to form a Union. People who even THINK twice about forming a union or organizing ones for Tesco or 7 11 have been murdered in the past. we are not dealing with family friendly shopping centers here, these are organized crime outfits comitting capital crimes of Capitalism worldwide!

Please point us to info that unions activists representing staff at Tesco/7-11 have allegedly been been murdered. The URL below talks to abuses of union members in Thailand, but does not talk to murder of union activists

http://www.unhcr.org...d8892023,0.html

Below is the URL that is a news report of union discussions with Tesco Thailand Management. It's true that in the past Tesco has been anti union in Thailand, this issue has been raised at Tesco's AGM in the UK. If it was alleged that Tesco Thailand was involved in the murder of union activists in Thailand it would make international news and their would be investigations requested by UK shareholders and the Board.

http://www.uniglobal...12579BC00344063

7-11 is Japanese owned & there is a tradition of unions in Japan. 7-11 in Thailand have a franchise model so would assume the establishment of workers rights representatives would be difficult. Maybe their are union representatives in their distribution/supply chain operations. Again being a multinational it would make global news if union activists were murdered and investigations would be launched.

Correct me if I.m wrong but,doesn,t CP own 7/11 Thailand.

I understand that the Thai owned CP ALL Public Company Limited is the logistics and marketing arm of the 7-11 brand that is owned by the Japanese company Seven & I Holdings; refer http://www.7andi.com...pany/group.html

In today's Bangkok Post CP announced an investment program of 20billion baht for improving production and supply chain. Claims this will create an additional 2,000 jobs by 2015; with forecast revenue of 20billion baht a year by 2015.

[cowslip]

Man you are lucky you had the FREEDOM and rights to form a Union. People who even THINK twice about forming a union or organizing ones for Tesco or 7 11 have been murdered in the past. we are not dealing with family friendly shopping centers here, these are organized crime outfits comitting capital crimes of Capitalism worldwide!

Please point us to info that unions activists representing staff at Tesco/7-11 have allegedly been been murdered. The URL below talks to abuses of union members in Thailand, but does not talk to murder of union activists

http://www.unhcr.org...d8892023,0.html

Below is the URL that is a news report of union discussions with Tesco Thailand Management. It's true that in the past Tesco has been anti union in Thailand, this issue has been raised at Tesco's AGM in the UK. If it was alleged that Tesco Thailand was involved in the murder of union activists in Thailand it would make international news and their would be investigations requested by UK shareholders and the Board.

http://www.uniglobal...12579BC00344063

7-11 is Japanese owned & there is a tradition of unions in Japan. 7-11 in Thailand have a franchise model so would assume the establishment of workers rights representatives would be difficult. Maybe their are union representatives in their distribution/supply chain operations. Again being a multinational it would make global news if union activists were murdered and investigations would be launched.

Correct me if I.m wrong but,doesn,t CP own 7/11 Thailand.

I understand that the Thai owned CP ALL Public Company Limited is the logistics and marketing arm of the 7-11 brand that is owned by the Japanese company Seven & I Holdings; refer http://www.7andi.com...pany/group.html

In today's Bangkok Post CP announced an investment program of 20billion baht for improving production and supply chain. Claims this will create an additional 2,000 jobs by 2015; with forecast revenue of 20billion baht a year by 2015.

sadly they will be "MacJobs"

[LawrenceChee]

people should be paid for what they do and it should be fair...in all honesty stacking shelves is not that hard, tiring yes, hard no. So before we all go crazy asking for more money, the question is in most of my visits, people at Tesco hardly looks stretched compared to the other options available out there in Thailand.

people all have options to choose their career options, instead of dishing it out on the big "evil" company, understand the same company is keeping prices low for the eveyday consumer.

People who ask for higher wages should understand it normally corresponds with a higher cost of living.

Classic Example. I know the factory owner that a few years ago was embroiled in a crazy media campaign against Chinese factories for labor conditions and producing what the media dubbed " lead posiion...for legal purposes let's say this is the classic blonde USA doll gal" ...he asked me ....these folks at this giant hypermarket will pay me $3 for each doll so that they can sell it for $8 at their shelves, taking into consideration the labor costs, cost of materials and cost of shipping...hahahahh they want me to pay more to the workers ????

he laughed coz the media dubbed on the lead poisioning was almost crazy...every parent know if you child will play with the same toy for more than one week you have gotten your mileage...since most are thrown out a few days later. How does one get lead poisioning...by his own calculations, if he pay real western world wages, provide the correct PPE, improve ventilation, choose a reputable shipping company that has a carbon print, the same toy will be $150 on the shelve...

so ask if you are willing to pay that price and for other commodities...same with the sardine, vegetables etc....pay for what you wish for

[LawrenceChee]

big companies will always make money....and will be seen as the "devil" yet the same big companies like Tesco, Big C, Marko are the reason why Thai families who earn middle or lower wages can have a nice air condition place to take a leisure off day stroll with the family, shop cheaply for the daily necessities and generally be a communal focal point...

[cowslip]

big companies will always make money....and will be seen as the "devil" yet the same big companies like Tesco, Big C, Marko are the reason why Thai families who earn middle or lower wages can have a nice air condition place to take a leisure off day stroll with the family, shop cheaply for the daily necessities and generally be a communal focal point...

"always make money"????

Big companies often go to the wall or are bailed out by the people ... and when they do make money, time and again countries have to regulate them to control how they make their money - what we are looking at here is - to quote British PM Ted Heath is "the unacceptable face of capitalism"

They scour the world looking for markets that have not regulated yet so they can maximise their short-term profits and know that governments are all too ready to give them and all sorts of subsidies - tax breaks etc. - because they think it will improve their country’s economy, but they seldom consider the social downside until it is too late and they end up PAYING to keep the company in their country.

The main reason that Thai families have air-con is because the houses they have to live in to be near to their places of employment are so badly designed and constructed that the only way they can keep cool is to use energy wasteful cooling systems.

Due to their work pattern they can no longer cook at home so they have to live off "convenience" and increasingly industrialised (processed) food products that require little preparation as possible but also often have questionable nutritional and health values.

As in a industrialised society you are forced to work the hours that suit the large factories, your natural free time is destroyed and it is replaced with a company dictated break - in Thailand this is usually only one day a week, but as most live away from their families and send money home, they will work 7 day weeks for months at a time until they return home to their family on Buddhist or National holidays

Old natural family and community ties are broken, and village or traditional social gathering points are frequently not catered for in modern housing estates, whether house or condo, so the only place people can convene is in a shopping mall. Here thanks to the carefully designed architecture (a change from the housing) the Gruen effect is waiting to take over and Tesco et al find their suitably primed customers standing outside their front doors ready to spend on stuff they hadn’t even thought of about a hour before.....so the money paid out in wages comes back into the company coffres.

[theslime]

I thought my income of 200 baht per hour teaching English was bad!

Hahahahahaha

I don't understand why can't these workers unionize and go on strike demanding higher salaries

Read some Kamsing Srinawk or Sidaoruang to further understand the problems of the working class Thai before posing dribble....

Well spoken.

[cowslip]

Just speak to anyone in the army.

[LawrenceChee]

Cowslip

I enjoy reading these posts by people who enjoy bashing the big companies that are environmentally unfriendly, bash the regulations, treat people badly, pay low wages....I am not sure what is the scale that will provide the balance, all businesses are in it to make money, big or small. Self run or by corporations.

Good wish...just keep praying that all of them "evil corporations" will close down and see if you like it better.

No more fast food chains, no more starbucks, black canyon, no more MK, no more toyotas, hondas, no more apple products, no more shopping malls run by CP & Central, no more seafood pre packed, no more samsung, no more hp printers, no more microsoft, no more nike, no more staples, no more home pro, no more hypermarkets.....the list goes on and on....

Tell me how life would be for you then...maybe you get your 6 days off, high wages, all natural food and low cost of living and better quality homes....

keep dreaming mate....life is about choices....don't shop or buy any of these products if you believe in organic, free range living...with no big corporations and every company is socially responsible, refuse profit making and sell at cost. Fancy world and we all know it is impossible ! Even when given choices, human beings like convenience and there are some who will choose a microwave pie vs a fresh pie hand made ...

[cowslip]

Cowslip

I enjoy reading these posts by people who enjoy bashing the big companies that are environmentally unfriendly, bash the regulations, treat people badly, pay low wages....I am not sure what is the scale that will provide the balance, all businesses are in it to make money, big or small. Self run or by corporations.

Good wish...just keep praying that all of them "evil corporations" will close down and see if you like it better.

No more fast food chains, no more starbucks, black canyon, no more MK, no more toyotas, hondas, no more apple products, no more shopping malls run by CP & Central, no more seafood pre packed, no more samsung, no more hp printers, no more microsoft, no more nike, no more staples, no more home pro, no more hypermarkets.....the list goes on and on....

Tell me how life would be for you then...maybe you get your 6 days off, high wages, all natural food and low cost of living and better quality homes....

keep dreaming mate....life is about choices....don't shop or buy any of these products if you believe in organic, free range living...with no big corporations and every company is socially responsible, refuse profit making and sell at cost. Fancy world and we all know it is impossible ! Even when given choices, human beings like convenience and there are some who will choose a microwave pie vs a fresh pie hand made ...

Oh dear how sad - you can't argue - Here are some tips - - i have to say this is a particularly vacuous reposte and completely without substance or merit. You make assumptions presumably out of ignorance - if you have an argument - pick a point and state your case rather than a series of illogical inferences and spurious ad hominem attacks. So don't don't waste your time expecting any further replies funless you have a coherent argument.

[theoldgit]

Insults, and quoted replies removed.

Please cut it out.

[IsaanAussie]

Hey LC, the man has a point. I used to do as you have in your post, use four or five periods in a row. But my daughter pointed out that technically you should always use three.

[LawrenceChee]

So let's have an professional arguement. If you state your management experience, it helps to relate the points. I have worked at the direct levels with business owners and hotel owners. We start with one point and see how we go from there.

As quoted by Cowslip :

They scour the world looking for markets that have not regulated yet so they can maximise their short-term profits and know that governments are all too ready to give them and all sorts of subsidies - tax breaks etc. - because they think it will improve their country’s economy, but they seldom consider the social downside until it is too late and they end up PAYING to keep the company in their country.

My arguement :

There is nothing wrong with making profits. Companies exist to sell a product or service at a profit margin that will best serve their needs and ensure they are financially sound so that they do not need a bailout. The description on bailout may be misquoted. Most companies go bankrupt if they don't generate profits. However in the most recent case, to have an entire auto or banking industry collapse would be unthinkable in the short term and I dont believe the governments involved made that decision thinking of the execs ...more so for the people down on the street. Of course the cynics will think otherwise...after all there is no sane or responsible government if all is to be believed ....so why vote ?

Have they been ethically correct, we know they have not been ; and the executives have not been totally regulated and have gone and taken greater risks than they should. The anger from the ground is understandable...however short of shooting them for a capital crime which is done in China and may start another arguement of human rights and opinions, what else can a government do ?

Should a company that start up business in a 3rd world country not get any tax breaks for taking such a huge capital risk ? I dont believe then any 3rd word country can attract any investments. I was on the negotiation tables for many new hotel chains being set up when China opened up ; and for these CEOs, GMs, no one was willing to risk millions of dollars if there was no return of a gurantee of a reduced risk in the form of a tax break. The downside of this then is no jobs are created, no income generated for the local economy and everyone in the country stays the way they were.

As for social responsibility, this is at the core of an individual ; companies and governments can have schemes to help people but at the core of it, you have to help yourself. I dont believe any company is set up with the belief that they are also responsible for every single aspect of the community around them. That is impossible to fulfill and not the first reason why one would set up a company anyway.

[theslime]

Cowslip

I enjoy reading these posts by people who enjoy bashing the big companies that are environmentally unfriendly, bash the regulations, treat people badly, pay low wages....I am not sure what is the scale that will provide the balance, all businesses are in it to make money, big or small. Self run or by corporations.

Good wish...just keep praying that all of them "evil corporations" will close down and see if you like it better.

No more fast food chains, no more starbucks, black canyon, no more MK, no more toyotas, hondas, no more apple products, no more shopping malls run by CP & Central, no more seafood pre packed, no more samsung, no more hp printers, no more microsoft, no more nike, no more staples, no more home pro, no more hypermarkets.....the list goes on and on....

Tell me how life would be for you then...maybe you get your 6 days off, high wages, all natural food and low cost of living and better quality homes....

keep dreaming mate....life is about choices....don't shop or buy any of these products if you believe in organic, free range living...with no big corporations and every company is socially responsible, refuse profit making and sell at cost. Fancy world and we all know it is impossible ! Even when given choices, human beings like convenience and there are some who will choose a microwave pie vs a fresh pie hand made ...

Yep some make a profit, and some gouge a profit, Dont know why you think a decent wage equates to a loss of shops

[turboturtle]

The point of this topic is for those to learn about EMPATHY with the Thai workers who have no choice but to work for the only place pumping business in town, the Multinational sweat shops. I am truly defending the worth of Thai People that obviously most of you think is at the value of your last drink at the bar for an entire day at work for a hardworking Thai...

[turboturtle]

OP a member for one day.. I smell a troll.. But not a good one. I see no real mud slinging as yet

This topic has over 7000 reads, which is pretty good for a troll I'd say and I would have to agree with the OP on this one. I've seen many crowded supermarkets filled with enslaved unhappy faces!

[LawrenceChee]

I will explain this in the context of global operations ; Tesco Thailand and its subsidiary where there are lower costs of operations will funnel these back to a head office (probably in all context a western country) to head off the losses. Many global companies do that as the western hemisphere business environment is not ideal. Same scenario where 10 years ago the same profits made in the western hemisphere was used to funnel these expansion plans in Asia.

If there are Thais who refuse the low wages, all they need to do is to move up the career chain ; study hard in a good university, enroll in a course you have an interest in, challenge yourself to work globally for a good company big or small and then get the wages you believe you deserve for your talents.

I am unapologetic for the fact that anyone who sees a career in Tesco stacking goods is angry with their jobs and wages as they chose it. If they feel the salary is too low, reject the job, upgrade your skill sets and when companies have issues recruiting manpower the wages will go up. Until that time happens, you will see people who are satisfied with what they get and want to stay there.

For every unhappy person you see on the job that is paid low wages, you get the same unhappy person on a job that is highly paid. Career satisfaction is driven from enjoying what you do daily and not what you are paid to do.

Australia pays a minimum wage of AUD 17.10 per hour for retail staff under their Fair Wage Policy which will come out THB$545....you see all the crew there having smiley facves at Coles, Woolworths ?

Of course not, the day these wages come to Tesco, all the retirees in Chiang Mai who were living on 30,000 baht or less would also be leaving the country on mass as everything in the supermarket will be priced correspondingly so that they do not have to close down or go bankrupt.

[HeavyDrinker]

The point of this topic is for those to learn about EMPATHY with the Thai workers who have no choice but to work for the only place pumping business in town, the Multinational sweat shops.

Can you define "Multinational sweatshop" and provide some examples?

The truth so many people find impossible to stomach when this topic is raised (as it upsets their "world view" of how the developing world should be) is that multinational presences in Thailand actually offer an opportunity for the Thais which many take with both hands.

Try asking a few.

Would they rather be slogging their guts out in the baking heat of the unforgiving farmlands of Issan (now there IS a sweatshop for you) where their lives are at the mercy of the elements, the landowners, government monopolies; or would they rather be earning a regular wage in a factory in Bangkok or the Eastern Seaboard.

It irks me when I read dribble like the above post as it smacks not only of ignorance but also of sheer arrogance.

Do you think the Thais don't deserve a choice?

You have about as much "empathy" with the Thai workers as a tench...

[cowslip]

INMO, the op is about the effects of multinationals on an industrialising nation - especially retailers.

It's nice to think that some people think that it is OK for the people of Thailand to have only 2 choices. (I notice it doesn't include the dignity of owning your own business or shop anymore)...I think that is appalling in itself, but when you realise that these aren't even "choices" for most they are necessary evils then the picture looks even bleaker.