Walmart intervention sought at Thai factory
A large North American union has called on US retail giant Walmart to take immediate action against one of its seafood suppliers in Thailand accused of holding Cambodian workers in debt bondage while barely providing them with enough money to eat. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union has waded into the ugly dispute between the Phatthana Seafood factory, its migrant work force and the Cambodian recruitment firm that sent many of them there. Since a strike broke out at the firm’s Songkhla province factory just over a week ago, the situation has deteriorated to the point where some workers are reportedly so poor, they cannot afford food, while rights groups allege the company is engaged in direct human trafficking. Cambodian worker representative Sor Sorng said yesterday an NGO donated food to some 300 migrant workers who could no longer afford to eat…
