After announcing its dismissal of employees living with an intellectual disability or on the autism spectrum, Walmart Canada on Saturday apologized for creating "confusion and disappointment."
The retail giant says it’s committed to working with affected program participants, their families and social service agencies to find “new arrangements,” as the program is dismantled over the next few weeks.
In an email obtained by several media outlets, including The Canadian Press, Wal-Mart Canada's vice-president of corporate affairs, Robert Nicol, does not rule out the possibility of re-hiring program participants.
He argues that Walmart Canada's goal was always to "find other ways to help people in these programs, including direct employment."
The senior executive of the company acknowledges that the file was poorly managed communication-wise.
"Obviously, the way we handled this change has created confusion and disappointment, and we sincerely apologize for it," he wrote.
Nicol also said that the company notified agencies in Quebec last week that they could no longer participate in the voluntary vocational training program in its current form. However, the company has not given a concrete reason.
On Friday, Walmart Canada spokesperson Anika Malik played on semantics, denying that they had "fired" employees living with a developmental disability or an ASD – who found themselves unemployed all the same.
"These people participated in a voluntary program coordinated by local agencies who partnered with our stores to provide an environment in which they could get involved," she explained.
The company simply ended its partnership in the program, which offered “integration experience and community engagement in a work environment," she said.
