The Workers' Movement in China - China Labour Bulletin

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THE WORKERS 29 Because there are next to no genuinely representative trade unions in China’s private enterprises, workers have no one to turn to when seeking to defend their economic rights and interests. But even if trade union officials were willing to stand up for the workforce against managements, the lack of an effective intra-factory mechanism for resolving disputes means that grievances tend to pile up, causing disputes to escalate. When managements arbitrarily change employees’ pay and conditions without consultation, workers are often left with little option but to stage a public protest in the hope of forcing the government to intervene on their behalf. At least nine of the cases in this report were triggered by arbitrary management changes to wage structures and pay rates, workloads and working hours. Nearly 1,000 workers from Shenzhen’s Hailiang Storage Products firm block a downtown thoroughfare, 19 December 2007 - Nearly 1,000 workers from the Hailiang Storage Products company staged a strike and blocked a major thoroughfare in downtown Shenzhen on 19 and 20 December 2007 (see photo above). The protest was triggered by a company decision to shift from a system of three eight-hour shifts to two 12-hour shifts, effective 1 January 2008. Workers said that under the old system, the maximum number of overtime hours was 36 per month, with double pay at weekends, but under the new system, overtime increased to nearly 50 hours a month, with fewer opportunities to earn double pay at weekends.
30 GOING IT ALONE - On 6 and 7 March 2008, thousands of workers at the Casio Electronics factory in Guangzhou staged a strike and demonstrated in protest at the management’s abolition of allowances and bonuses under a new pay scale system. The management had argued that wage levels under the new system were in line with the minimum wage, but the workers claimed that at a time of repeated stoppages due to a lack of orders, their real monthly wage could end up below the minimum legal threshold. - From 19 August 2007 onwards, around 10,000 workers the Feihuang electronics factory in Shenzhen staged a series of strikes and roadblocks in protest at the management’s moves to reduce wages and increase work hours at a time of rapidly increasing food prices and rents. According to a report by the Hong Kongbased Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM), when orders were flowing into the company, workers had to put in 11.5 hours a day, for 30 days a month. With compulsory overtime on statutory holidays, they could earn a maximum wage of 1,800 yuan. In 2007, with working hours and workload unchanged, they could only earn between 1,100 and 1, 200 yuan. In the summer, workers’ anger rose to boiling point during the repeated power cuts. Because the factory’s backup generators only powered equipment and machinery and not the airconditioning, employees were forced to endure the sweltering summer heat without air-conditioning or electric fans. 36 Some of these worker actions ignited other protests in nearby factories or company subsidiaries. The day after the strike at the Feihuang electronics factory, for example, workers at the nearby Shajingzhen factory in Shenzhen’s Bao’an district also downed tools and blockaded local roads. Two days after workers at Chengda-owned Quanta Shoes in Guangzhou took strike action over overtime arrears on 9 January 2008, workers at its subsidiary, Chengrong, also joined the action. 36 “ Nokia Motorola !"#$%&'(!)*+,!” (Factory strikes spread among Shenzhen suppliers to Nokia and Motorola; nearly 20,000 workers continue actions), SACOM website.
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 and 14: 12 GOING IT ALONE China. The number
Page 15 and 16: 14 GOING IT ALONE involved 650,000
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: 28 GOING IT ALONE were a major reas
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
Page 68 and 69: THE TRADE UNION 67 Since 2002, the
Page 70 and 71: THE TRADE UNION 69 union bosses tur
Page 72 and 73: THE TRADE UNION 71 to working depar
Page 74 and 75: Conclusion In 2007-08, China’s wo
Page 76 and 77: CONCLUSION 75 went over his head an
Page 78 and 79: CONCLUSION 77 have to overcome its
Page 80 and 81:
Appendix: 100 workers’ protests,
Page 82 and 83:
100 workers’ protests, 2007-2008
Page 84 and 85:
Page 86 and 87:
Page 88:
APPENDIX 87 Major news sources used
Page 91 and 92:
90 GOING IT ALONE Bone and Blood: T
Page 93 and 94:
92 GOING IT ALONE tive cases, and d
Page 95 and 96:
94 GOING IT ALONE !"#$%&'()*)+,-./
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