The South African Competition Tribunal has delayed hearings about Wal-Mart's bid to buy South African retailer Massmart until May. The delay comes after unions said that partial delays would be harmful to their arguments. The hearings have been delayed to allow the government to gather more information about Wal-Mart and the potential deal. A United Food and Commercial Workers official, Michael Bride, said that it would be better if the hearings took place after all the documents had been submitted. Unions have been opposed to the deal since it was first announced, citing concerns about labor and working conditions, as well as the status of unions in the company. Massmart has said that it will honor existing agreements if the deal goes through. The hearings will now begin on May 9.
See "Wal-Mart's Massmart Antitrust Hearings Delayed by Tribunal", Renee Bonorchis, Business Week, March 21, 2011