Labour unrest in China

China factory unrest spreads amid economic uncertainty

From Collapse Net:

The Chinese population and the government are in for a rude awakening with almost 1.4 billion people who were sold the opiate of infinite growth.   There are "officially" (probably double) 130,000,000 Chinese and growing, who earn less than $2/day; this is equivalent to a third of the US population.  This is not sustainable.  

The civil unrest will grow and lead to civil war (as it did in the post WWII era) as more and more of the population wakes up and realizes that their dream has become a nightmare and that their nightmare has become their reality.  

It is definitely going to become very dangerous for the government, the people, and anyone living close to China as the global economy unravels.  -- Luis Mora, Editorial Committee

News Daily, 

7 December, 2011

Workers at a foreign-owned factory in China were on strike on Wednesday after a week of industrial disputes in coastal manufacturing hubs, with a wave of unrest showing no sign of abating as they push back against rising economic pressures.

China's economy is showing signs of strain due to mounting piles of local government debt, a sharp drop in external demand for exports and nagging inflation. A pronounced slowdown that could lay off millions of migrant factory workers would be a major concern for Beijing's stability-obsessed leaders.

At a Singapore-owned Hi-P International factory in the eastern Yangtze River Delta -- a major industrial region close to Shanghai, hundreds of workers laid down their tools for a week on fears a planned plant relocation could trigger mass layoffs.

Workers at Hi-P, who make electronics products for Apple and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, have lodged petitions demanding compensation and scuffled with police after blocking the shipment of heavy equipment.

"The workers' rights awareness has grown," said Li Qiang, the head of China Labour Watch, a U.S.-based labour advocacy group.

"For the Chinese government, this is very dangerous if they don't solve the problem for workers ... They can't just build a wall to stem the floodwaters, they need to find a way to divert the river before it floods, to resolve this growing pressure."

In the southern boomtown of Shenzhen, nearly a thousand workers at a Hitachi-owned plant have also staged a strike, angered that their long-service benefits were being eroded after the takeover of the plant by Japan's biggest industrial electronics firm.

Hitachi said in a statement that the company was negotiating with employee representatives and that it would ensure their legally entitled rights and benefits.

Workers are desperate to safeguard jobs and wages ahead of a major annual break for the Lunar New Year festival in January, when many migrant workers return home to far-flung villages.

Their jobs are under pressure as manufacturers and exporters look to cut costs in response to slowing Western orders, especially from debt-ridden Europe.

LAND GRABS

In recent months, a rash of highly-organized and potent strikes have hit the factories of a number of global brands including PepsiCo, Japanese watchmaker Citizen, and shoemaking Yue Yuen.

Beyond dusty factory towns, pockets of rural unrest have also been brewing. Land grab disputes, in particular, remain an explosive social issue in China's countryside.

In the southern village of Wukan, which was roiled by violent riots in September over the illegal acquisition of farmland by developers, thousands protested again this week against authorities' failure to resolve the issue.

Villagers went as far as barricading local officials in their offices to protest against a brutal regime of threats and intimidation by security forces, including the detention of a village protest leader Zhuang Liehong.

They have also petitioned central authorities in Beijing to investigate the acquisition of hundreds of hectares of farmland by corrupt developers and local officials without offering adequate compensation.

"The (local) officials have tricked us," a Wukan resident told Reuters by telephone. "The whole village is now very tense. If they try to arrest someone, we are ready to challenge them. If this continues, something big will explode."

Shanghai strike enters 7th day

China News Watch,

6 December, 2011

Hundreds of striking workers at an electronics plant in Shanghai vowed last night to continue their protest for a seventh day after talks with the Singaporean management failed.

The workers, mostly women, have been picketing the Hi-P International plant in east Shanghai's Jinqiao industrial zone since Wednesday over plans to relocate the factory to the outskirts of the city.

"We work long shifts, sometimes over 20 hours. Even with a company shuttle bus, the new factory will mean an hour and a half's travelling every day, so we won't have any time left to rest," said one worker from Sichuan. "Most of us have been working at this factory for many years, so we should be properly compensated if they want to break our contracts."

The at times rowdy strikers shouted and jeered as company officials tried to placate them late in the afternoon after nearly six hours of negotiations with workers' representatives.

"Pay us money, pay us money," they chanted as one executive attempted to explain transport arrangements for the new site.

The dispute is the latest in a wave of industrial action taking place in parts of the mainland and comes shortly after street cleaners in Nanjing downed tools last month.

In a sign of the authorities' jitters about unrest breaking out, there were at least three vans filled with uniformed and plain-clothes police parked near the factory. However, there were no reports of clashes.

The strikers said more than 1,000 workers were involved in the walkout, but Hi-P executive chairman Yao Hsiao Tung said yesterday only "around 200" of the 4,000-strong workforce were involved.

"We have no alternative but to move the factory, as the government has decided to change this area's zoning from industrial to commercial," Yao said. "We regret that this situation has arisen and want to resolve it as quickly as possible and according to the law."

He said the relocation was scheduled to take place in March.

"If staff are unwilling to move to the new site, then we are willing to assist them in their work problems," he said, without elaborating.

Yao said there was no truth to talk that the company had laid off staff.

"We have not fired any workers," he said. "In fact, we really need to hire more people, as the company is constantly expanding."

Workers at the factory downed tools for nearly two weeks in July and August in a dispute over plans to move part of the operation to Suzhou in nearby Anhui province.