Human Rights Watch vs. Wal-Mart?
Question by Hey…you asked!: Human Rights Watch vs. Wal-Mart?
Recently, Human Rights Watch came out against Wal-Mart claiming that the retailer “abuses” it’s employees.
Now, I understand that some people don’t like Wal-Mart for various reasons…but with the horrible atrocities going on in Darfur, Nigeria, North Korea and elsewhere, doesn’t Human Rights Watch have more important things to worry about than Wal-Mart?
Just a few facts about Wal-Mart:
>Most Wal-Mart stores that open up get anywhere from 5000-20,000 job applications to fill an average of 400 jobs.
>Wal-Mart annually gives millions of dollars to various charity and community development groups
>Wal-Mart doesn’t provide about 45% of it’s employees with health insurance…but the vast majority of those are part-time employees who only work 15-20 hours per week
I don’t want to beat the drum too loudly for Wal-Mart, so tell me what you think about this issue.
Is Human Rights Watch justified in their criticizm of Wal-Mart or are they just buying into the “Wal-Mart hater” hype?
Best answer:
Answer by theorangeevil
I think Wal-Mart must not be that bad of a place to work because they never seem to have trouble finding employees. Here’s the way capitalism works: two people enter into a contract because it’s mutually beneficial to all parties involved. Sure, one person might be getting a better deal than the other person, but they’re both agreeing because they are each other’s best option. Wal-Mart goes into little towns where unemployment is high. These people don’t have better options, which is why they’re all lining up to work at Wal-Mart. So why are we all getting worked up that people who were unemployed five months ago now have steady employment?
I absolutely agree with you – people are dying from genocide, disease, and starvation all around the world. Those who hate Wal-Mart are complaining that its employees can’t afford to pay for rent AND a cell phone and have to get SECOND jobs. Do you know how desperate some people outside of the United States are to have even one job? If they had one job that paid even a tenth as much as Wal-Mart does, they’d be able to eat every day.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!