Internal Report Exposes Walmart's Lack Of Commitment To International Workers Rights. In a 2005 study, Walmart audits its international factory inspection program and the results are not promising. Only 20 percent of inspections are unannounced and 89 percent of all inspections find medium to severe violations. With only 200 associates covering five regions around the globe, it appears workers will have to suffer under poor working conditions for years to come. [Walmart's 2005 Report on Ethical Sourcing, 7/31/06]

Norway Calls Walmart's Human Rights Violations "Serious" and "Systematic". In 2006, Norway sold its 2.5 billion kroner ($415 million) worth of Walmart shares, citing "serious" and "systematic" human rights violations in Walmart's supply chain. Norway's federal pension fund - valued at almost $300 billion - is one of the world's largest. ["Norway Dumps Wal-Mart Stock," Aftenposten, 6/6/06; "Norway Backs its Ethics with Cash," New York Times, 5/4/07]

Dropped from Socially Responsible Investing Index. In 2001, Walmart was removed from the nation's largest "socially responsible" mutual fund, the Domini 400 Social Index, because of its human rights standards. The Domini Index is described as the "the first benchmark for stock funds to screen for social responsibility." Kyle Johnson, the project manager for the index, stated "Walmart is a market leader in retail, yet has not taken a leadership position on labor issues and has been unresponsive to calls for change from shareholders." [Palm Beach Daily News, 6/12/05; International Shareholder, 4/17/01; The Los Angeles Times, 5/18/01]

Wage Violations at Supplier Factories. According to Walmart's own audit, "several serious violations are still found consistently at the factory level, including problems with payment of overtime compensation, coaching of workers for worker interviews, and the use of `double-books' to hide true numbers of hours worked or wages/benefits paid." [Walmart Stores Inc. 2005 Ethical Sourcing Report]

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