Wal-Mart thugs beat Chinese shoplifter to death

Woman accused of stealing from store in Jiangxi province is attacked on street by five employees after refusing to show a receipt. She dies four days later in hospital.

Ottawa (9 Sept. 2009) - A woman in China's eastern Jiangxi province was beaten to death by five Wal-Mart employees who accused her of shoplifting, says a police report as well as a report on state media. Police say two of the workers have been arrested and the other three are being investigated.

According to police, the woman was beaten Aug. 30 outside her home, which is located close to the Wal-Mart outlet. She died of her injuries four days later.

Police say the five staff members accosted the woman and demanded to see a receipt. When she refused to co-operate an argument began and the beating followed.

The English-language China Daily identified the victim as Yu Xiaochun, 37. It said the two employees arrested worked in Wal-Mart's "asset protection division."

"They started to hit her because she didn't do what they said," the paper quoted her husband Chen Baolin as saying. "I got there and tried to stop them but they kept beating her."

It was not immediately known if the woman had actually shoplifted anything from the store, the paper said.

In a statement, Wal-Mart said it was "fully cooperating with the relevant authorities" and would release details as appropriate. "We extend our condolences to the family of the deceased," the company added.

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has signed a protocol with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Canada) to support and cooperate in the UFCW's campaign to organize workers at Wal-Mart stores across Canada.

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE