The corruption in Wal-Mart

National
The Federal Commission of Competitions (CFC) denies practical monopolists
The corruption in Wal-Mart
By: Carlos Damián May 9, 2012
The corporate one promotes prejudicial labor reformations
México. - The corporate one is classified as socially responsible company, Wal-Mart of Mexico and Central America (WM) flooded the internal market with foreign products cared at low cost, what allowed it to negotiate with national suppliers the purchase from its final products to reduced prices. This transnational company is the corporative that the federal government has used to lower the inflation and it has played a fundamental part it for the official inattention toward the invigoration of the national productive plant. But the flows of foreign currencies that entered to the country were used to finance the imports of consumption goods and intermissions, instead of supporting to the national companies.

In this context the small local producers were only outside of the list of suppliers of WM and only the monopolies of the country, as Bimbo and Bachoco, were able to make business. Only in Felipe Calderon's administration, the company increased its number of establishments from a thousand 20 to 2 thousand 87. Their sales were shot from 14 thousand 647.6 million dollars to 25 thousand 268 millions USD. As long as, the utilities ascended from 93.467 millions to a thousand 483 million dollars, they asserted, Alejandro Castillo and Uriel Vargas of the social Organization ‘El Barzon’. They added that WM is a transnational one that they have promoted the prejudicial labor reformations, the over-exploitation of the workers, and the use of extension of the working schedule by means of hours outside of the schedule of work (supposing a work’s schedule of 8 hours) – extra hours- that are not paid, besides the elimination of the schedules of work.
The competition of the transnational one is depredatoria and disloyal
The director of talent of the transnational WM, Cory Guajardo of the invigoration of the labor relationships it mentions, in which each company looks for that its employees enter in different hours depending on their necessities. She also added that in summer, on Fridays flexible schedules they are completed, only in offices and that "in distribution centers there are outlines of four days worked by three of rest", but she forgets to mention that if the worker doesn't go to the work -fault -; the worker that it misses the pay period and they receive their wage the workers they are discounted two days by every day of the lack registered in payroll, and it doesn't pay prize for attendance.

For the Federal Commission of Competitions (CFC, in Spanish), the multiplication of self-service stores and mini-supermarkets of the transnational Wal-Mart (WM), it is not considered a disloyal practice and depredatory for the small merchants. For the CFC to limit the installation of these stores is “noxious to the competition process and liberate concurrence, and in consequence, contrary to the public interest and the well-being of the consumers". In opposition to the federal government's attitude the government of the Federal District threw its ordinance initiative to limit the installation of supermarkets –small centers, and supercenters- in the capital of the country with the purpose “of improving the conditions of justness and competitiveness for the public supply", and with it to protect the traditional trade conformed by markets traditional and small business.
The corruption in Wal-Mart
The main ones affected they are those producing of fresh foods, section in which the supermarkets in general apply their more attractive offers. Nevertheless since the population only provides 15 percent of the foods that consumes who buy in a self-service store they pay a surcharge in any other merchandise that they acquire, with what is invalidated the saving that they obtained in fruits and vegetables. Mexico is “the jewel of the crown” for the earnings that they report since to the transnational one in the last years “they have devoured” to the small business, and the traditional markets in the diverse municipalities of the states they have gone disappearing.

The strong initiative caused controversy between the big companies and the CFC it emitted its opinion in this respect, but at the end the ordinance approved by the Asamblea Legislativa of Mexico City went into effect in May of 2011, in spite of the habeas corpus interposed by supermarkets and transnational in the face of the Judicial Brand of the Federation, which were refused. Until the moment due to the scandal for practical corrupt and monopolists of the transnational one has not been investigated by the CFC, or some other chain of supermarkets. In this singular case it isn’t any accusation before the CFC for some commerce chamber, or some company injured in their economic interests, and productive sector, in spite of the declarations that prevail against the practical depredatorias of the corporative Supercenter Wal-Mart.
The mud in Wal-Mart
In this context it gets complicated the practical monopolists, when introducing a shareholder a demand against Supercenter WM in tribunals of The States. He explains in their demand that he wants to be reimbursed by the losses suffered by their actions and he requests clear bills with names and the executives' of the company last names and public officials involved in the bribes. However Supercenter WM has imposed some obstacles to the information when creating the czar internal anti-corruption that will take charge of watching over that its executives fulfill the law artificially. Until today it has suffered near losses to the 10 thousand million dollars.

It leaves a smearing mud in the walls with the bribes surrendered by the transnational one as a difficult task, since there are many bureaucrats connected of high level. In this smearing they are mentioned to Arturo Montiel and officials of the administration of the D. F., as Alberto and Eugenio Ebrard. The candidate of the PRI obtained in his visit to Monterrey support of Blanca Trevino, integral of the advice of administration of WM, and in turn she is director of Softek Co. It is difficult the task of eliminating the corruption in Mexico. (La Jornada, politica, p.p. 5 - 10, April 26, 2012)