He Junling, the last of five Chinese bus drivers jailed and deported from Singapore for striking over pay and living conditions last year, arrived back in China on Sunday saying: “I have no regrets.”
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China’s workers have demonstrated remarkable solidarity and organizational skill for several years now in strikes and protests across the country. They are now demanding a better trade union too.
Management at the Nanhai Honda automotive plant, scene of a groundbreaking strike in the summer of 2010, has agreed to a better pay deal for junior workers after around 100 production line workers went out on strike on 18 March. Photograph by \!/_PeacePlusOne available at flickr.com under a creative commons license.
Around 100 production line workers at the Nanhai Honda automotive plant, scene of a groundbreaking strike in the summer of 2010, staged another strike on the evening of 18 March after management and the trade union announced a new pay deal, workers told CLB.
What’s going on in China’s labor markets? Understanding unemployment and wage growth are crucial for understanding developments in the world’s second largest economy, not to mention the future price of everything from Nike sneakers to Apple iPhones.
The right to strike came up again during the annual parliamentary gathering in Beijing last week. Ge Jianxiong, head of Fudan University Library, suggested that the right to strike be restored to the Chinese constitution, telling the Financial Times that strikes were an effective way of defending workers’ rights, and should be legally protected.
The number of worker protests in China fell, as expected, last month because of the Lunar New Year holiday. Nevertheless, almost as soon as the week-long break concluded, workers went out on strike again.
Four Chinese bus drivers in Singapore were sentenced to jail terms of up to seven weeks for their part in a strike over unequal pay and poor living conditions late last November.The Singapore court announced the sentences on 25 February after the four drivers suddenly agreed to plead guilty. Photograph of Singapore bus by Ian Fuller available @ flickr.com under a creative commons license.
China's officially sanctioned trade unions do little to improve the country's battalions of manufacturing workers. Recently that has started to change with some workers winning improvements in pay and conditions. Jim Middleton speaks with Han Dongfang, an advocate for workers' rights in China.
Chinese workers are now launching too many strikes and protests for authorities to suppress, according to a union dissident visiting Australia.
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