Suchergebnisse

"China's economic success has been founded partly on relatively cheap labour, especially in export industries. In recent year, however, there has been growing concern about wages and labour standards in China. This book examines how wages are bargained, fought over and determined in China, exploring how the pattern of labour conflict has changed over time since the 1970s"--Provided by publisher.

ABSTRACTUsing the concept of 'constrained agency' introduced by Neil Coe and David Jordhus‐Lier, this article attempts to evaluate the possibilities and constraints facing labour agency in the Pearl River Delta in China. By reviewing the social, economic and political background of the changing labour market and labour regulations in China, and through an intensive case study of a workers' strike and its consequences, the author argues that Chinese migrant workers have begun to challenge the state's regulatory regime on labour, which is based on individual rights. However, the introduction of a regulatory framework based on collective rights is being impeded by the party‐state's manipulation of trade unions and the strong influence of global capital on local labour policy.

AbstractThis article analyzes the process of working-class formation under the ongoing industrialization in China by studying how the trade union has been contested by migrant workers in their strikes in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) over the past three decades. The cases presented here are emblematic of workers' struggles that have aroused public attention in the specific period of analysis. The author suggests that the trade union as a class organization has been a contested domain for migrant workers' struggles in the PRD. Through their collective actions, workers' class consciousness and strategies towards class organization have steadily advanced in the process of China's integration into the global economy.

This study presents the case study of a collective action against a proposed industrial waste-water disposal project in the city of Qidong, Jiangsu province in 2012 to explore the role of collective identity in the formation and mobilisation of environmental protests in contemporary China. It is suggested that collective identity articulated through protest is not just a static property of a certain group of people based on their history, culture and locality. Collective identity also works as a flexible framing strategy that can be pragmatically constructed or reconstructed by the discontents, as it interacts with the specific political context in the process of mobilisation. (China/GIGA)

AbstractChina's global economic strength is underpinned by its manufacturing prowess, predicated on a disciplined, skilled but relatively low‐paid workforce. Hence the State's recent regulatory initiatives to improve employment conditions in response to growing labour unrest. In their introductory article, the coordinators of this Special Issue of the International Labour Review contextualize the contributions that follow by reviewing the broader debates on labour regulation in global production – particularly on "soft" vs "hard" regulation – and the changes that have occurred in China's labour markets, labour regulations, labour standards and labour relations over the past decade. They conclude with suggestions for further research.

ResumenLa fuerza económica mundial de China reside en su capacidad manufacturera, gracias a una mano de obra disciplinada y calificada, cuya remuneración es, sin embargo, relativamente baja. Esto explica tanto los crecientes conflictos laborales como las iniciativas normativas estatales en respuesta. En la presente introducción, los coordinadores de este número monográfico contextualizan los demás artículos respecto de los debates generales sobre reglamentación laboral de la producción mundial –concretamente sobre la regulación vinculante y no vinculante–, y de la evolución del mercado de trabajo, la reglamentación laboral, las condiciones de trabajo y las relaciones laborales en China en el último decenio. Concluyen con propuestas para futuras investigaciones.

RésuméLa puissance économique de la Chine repose sur son industrie manufacturière, forte d'une main‐d'œuvre disciplinée et qualifiée mais peu rémunérée. Face à une agitation sociale croissante, l'Etat a pris des initiatives pour réglementer et améliorer les conditions d'emploi. Les coordinateurs de ce numéro spécial de la Revue internationale du Travail replacent ici les contributions qui le composent dans le contexte des débats sur la réglementation du travail dans la production mondiale – notamment réglementation non contraignante par opposition à réglementation contraignante – et sur l'évolution du marché du travail, des normes du travail et des relations professionnelles en Chine. Ils concluent par des suggestions de recherches à venir.