On the afternoon of October 14, 2009, Professor He Baogang from Deakin University in Australia gave a wonderful academic report titled "Dealing with 'troublemaking' unions: Walmart's different strategies in China, Mexico, Germany, Canada, and the United States" at China University of Labor Relations (CULR). The report was chaired by Associate Professor Qiao Jian, Director of the School of Labor Relations and Human Resources of the CULR. Experts and scholars from many colleges and research institutions such as the People's Public Security University of China, the Capital University of Economics and Business, the Labor Movement Research Institute of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, and Peking University participated in the discussion with many faculty members of the CULR enthusiastically.

Using Walmart, one of the Fortune 500 companies, as the research object, Professor He Baogang conducted a comparative study on how Walmart handles trade unions in various countries in its international expansion by studying Walmart's different practices in the United States, Germany, Canada, Mexico and China. Walmart did everything in its power to refuse to form trade unions in the United States; boycotted trade unions in Germany and eventually had to withdraw; fought trade unions primarily through legal means in Canada; and allowed cooperative trade unions in Mexico and China. There are five factors behind Walmart's strategy. The first is the attitude of the government. Walmart's strategy in China and Mexico largely depends on government support. The second, the nature and strength of trade unions, refers to how much their independence will affect their roles. The third factor is the workers themselves. The fourth factor is the local culture. And the last factor is the influence of supranational movements. That is, the anti-Walmart forces show a trend of transnational unity.

Finally, Professor He believes that as far as the current situation is concerned, Walmart's struggle with labor unions on a global scale is essentially a contest between global capital and labor, and this contest is basically a victory for capital. Because capital can flow, labor mobility is much weaker; and in the past, production departments monopolized and controlled the market, while the current global trend is for sales departments to monopolize the market.

Professor Feng Tongqing from the CULR and Professor Lu Guoxian from the People's Public Security University of China respectively commented on Professor He's novel perspective and in-depth analysis. Subsequently, attending experts and scholars engaged in heated discussions on Professor He's lecture, conducting in-depth analyses of the Walmart phenomenon from different perspectives such as social justice, human resource management, deliberative democracy, and the Chinese path. Professor He's wise responses also inspired the participants.

(School of Labor Relations and Human Resources, Foreign Affairs Office)