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Twenty personnel representatives from Wal-Mart Germany met with UNI Commerce and UFCW for a day of discussions, in Hamburg this week. Arranged by German UNI affiliate Ver.di, the meeting was part of a longer training session for the shop stewards.

Alan Spaulding, UFCW director of international affairs, told participants about how his union is trying to organise the Wal-Mart workers in the United States

At the meeting, Alan Spaulding of UNI's American affiliate UFCW told about the problematic labour relations situation in Wal-Mart in the United States. The company has adopted a strongly anti-union approach and goes to great lengths in avoiding to recognise a trade union in any at its work-places.

There is a strong trade union presence in Wal-Mart, Germany. The twenty shop stewards who met at a Wal-Mart super centre in Hamburg said that they hope that management will learn something from their German experience and revise their approach to the workers and their unions also at home, in the United States.

The Hamburg meeting was a step forward in launching a European and world-wide trade union cooperation in Wal-Mart. Jan Furstenborg of UNI Commerce told the participants about what plans there are for the near future. Wal-Mart will also be on the agenda for the Commercial Workers' Summit in Sydney, Australia in April next year.