The Workers' Movement in China - China Labour Bulletin

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SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS, 2007-08 13 China’s urban and rural life satisfaction index 2000-2008 The report period was characterised by a number of high-profile “mass incidents” ( !), including the notorious Weng’an Incident in Guizhou, in which thousands of rioters torched a police station and overturned police vehicles after allegations that the Weng’an police had covered up the involvement of the son of a senior county official in the death of a 15-year-old girl. 13 The riot, which erupted barely a month before the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing, showed how easy it was for seemingly random events to trigger mass protests by hundreds, thousands and even tens of thousands of people, in which long pent-up anger was vented at, and conflict sought with, the local government and public security authorities. Most participants did not have any direct interest in the issue at stake. The Hong Kong-based political magazine (Cheng Ming) quoted senior Party sources as saying the number of mass incidents in 2008 was 127,467, 14 almost 50 percent higher than the last officially released figure of 87,000 in 2005. In the vast majority of mass incidents the underlying causes have been serious violations of ordinary citizens’ lawful rights and interests by local government officials, typically in connection with resource development, relocation for construction projects and land expropriation. The number of labour disputes also increased dramatically during this period, reflecting the sharp rise in factory closures, lay offs and wage defaults discussed above, together with workers’ increased awareness of their rights and confidence in the institutions of public redress. In 2007, China’s labour dispute arbitration committees accepted 350, 000 cases, an increase of 10.3 percent from 2006. In total these cases 13 See Roland Soong’s blog on the Weng’an Incident at zonaeuropa.com 14 ! (Cheng Ming. The Trend Magazine) 2009. No.1 pp.10-13.
14 GOING IT ALONE involved 650,000 workers. There were 13,000 collective labour disputes, a decrease of 7.1 percent from 2006, affecting 270,000 workers. 15 After the implementation of the Labour Contract Law and Labour Arbitration Law in 2008 (see next section), the number of cases nearly doubled to 693,000 by year’s end, with the number of workers involved increasing to 1.2 million. There were 22,000 collective cases accepted by the committees, a 71 percent increase over 2007. On average, collective cases involved 23 workers and accounted for 41 percent of all workers involved in labour disputes. 16 The number of labour-related lawsuits also doubled in 2008, according to the Supreme People’s Court. Without giving actual figures, Supreme Court Vice-President Shen Deyong told a press conference in Beijing that the number of labour-related lawsuits filed in 2008 jumped by 95 percent compared with 2007, the largest increase among all types of lawsuits. 17 In addition to using legal and administrative avenues of redress, workers across the country continued to stage protests, particularly in response to factory closures and non-payment of wages. From January to September 2008, protests over wages in arrears accounted for nearly half of all mass incidents handled by the Guangdong Public Security Bureau. In Dongguan, mass incidents of this type in which workers blocked main roads accounted for 40.5 percent of the total; group petitions accounted for a further 22 percent and strikes 8.1 percent. 18 The scale of the wage arrears problem in 2008 was revealed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security when it announced in 15 Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, National Bureau of Statistics. “2007 !"#$%&'()*+,-.” (Fiscal 2007 statistical bulletin on labour and social security development planning), website of Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 21 May 2008 16 “Chinese government says labour disputes doubled in 2008,” CLB 11 May 2009 17 “Labour lawsuits double in 2008,” CLB 3 March 2009 18 Song Erdong ( ), Yan Congbing ( ). “2008 !"#$” (State of public order in 2008), in Ru Xin ( ), Lu Xueyi ( ), Li Peilin ( ) eds.-inchief, 2009 !"#$%&'()* (Analysis and forecasts of the state of Chinese society, 2009), Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press (China), 2008, 198-209
Page 1 and 2: China Labour Bulletin ulletin GOING
Page 3 and 4: About China Labour Bulletin Founded
Page 6 and 7: Introduction In early November 2008
Page 8: INTRODUCTION 7 wages, better workin
Page 11 and 12: 10 GOING IT ALONE their jobs in the
Page 13: 12 GOING IT ALONE China. The number
Page 17 and 18: 16 GOING IT ALONE But mine disaster
Page 19 and 20: 18 GOING IT ALONE payments to be ma
Page 21 and 22: 20 GOING IT ALONE 2. disputes arisi
Page 23 and 24: ing to use the mediation, arbitrati
Page 25 and 26: 24 GOING IT ALONE hukou, and eight
Page 27 and 28: 26 GOING IT ALONE - On 13 February
Page 29 and 30: 28 GOING IT ALONE were a major reas
Page 31 and 32: 30 GOING IT ALONE - On 6 and 7 Marc
Page 33 and 34: 32 GOING IT ALONE sisting that: “
Page 35 and 36: 34 GOING IT ALONE Local governments
Page 37 and 38: 36 GOING IT ALONE blocks after the
Page 39 and 40: 38 GOING IT ALONE Hunan, staged a s
Page 41 and 42: 40 GOING IT ALONE - On 13 February
Page 43 and 44: 42 GOING IT ALONE In many cases, ho
Page 45 and 46: 44 GOING IT ALONE Industry-specific
Page 47 and 48: 46 GOING IT ALONE did not, however,
Page 49 and 50: 48 GOING IT ALONE On 23 November, a
Page 51 and 52: 50 GOING IT ALONE In large part, wo
Page 54 and 55: Chapter Three: The Trade Union Orga
Page 56 and 57: THE TRADE UNION 55 During the perio
Page 58 and 59: THE TRADE UNION 57 relevant Party o
Page 60 and 61: THE TRADE UNION 59 The ACFTU’s re
Page 62 and 63: THE TRADE UNION 61 Hong Kong-based
Page 64 and 65:
THE TRADE UNION 63 In early 2008, A
Page 66 and 67:
THE TRADE UNION 65 pay. They also l
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THE TRADE UNION 67 Since 2002, the
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THE TRADE UNION 69 union bosses tur
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THE TRADE UNION 71 to working depar
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Conclusion In 2007-08, China’s wo
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CONCLUSION 75 went over his head an
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CONCLUSION 77 have to overcome its
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Appendix: 100 workers’ protests,
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100 workers’ protests, 2007-2008
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Page 86 and 87:
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APPENDIX 87 Major news sources used
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90 GOING IT ALONE Bone and Blood: T
Page 93 and 94:
92 GOING IT ALONE tive cases, and d
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94 GOING IT ALONE !"#$%&'()*)+,-./
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