The Mexican government will speak with the US retailer Walmart about its apparent decision not to allow the return of elderly people to pack in their stores, after withdrawing them in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, said President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Since March of last year, supermarkets, including Walmart de México, stopped giving access in their stores to tens of thousands of older adults who put consumer purchases in bags in exchange for a tip.
“Walmart is one of the shopping centers that sells the most, why not help, I think they would,” said López Obrador in his morning press conference when questioned on the subject.
“It’s a matter of talking to them. Many times things are resolved with dialogue, with communication,” he added.
Walmart de México did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency on what the president said and the eventual return of the elderly to their stores.
Before the pandemic, some 35,000 Mexicans, most between the ages of 60 and 74, packed groceries at Walmart stores and other chains through a government-backed voluntary program, for which they only received tips. The agreement is criticized by activists.
Seniors have held protests in recent days outside the National Palace, the seat of the Mexican government, requesting the intervention of López Obrador so that the retailer returns his jobs.
Many older adults in Mexico are forced to work even after retiring after a lifetime of work because the pensions they receive are not enough to cover their needs.
