Decent Work in the Chinese Apparel Industry: Comparative Analysis of Blue-Collar and White-Collar Garment Workers

Abstract

Addressing labor issues in the apparel industry is significantly important due to customers' increasing awareness of poor working conditions and growing labor crises in apparel production locations worldwide. Decent work is a key element to achieving fair and harmonious employment, but is not always evident in global apparel production networks. This study examines the working conditions in China's garment manufacturing industry, which employs more than 10 million workers. A survey was administered to 313 blue-collar workers and 228 white-collar workers on issues related to decent work, including workers' concerns, satisfaction levels and attitudes towards decent work. Regression analysis showed that workers' attitudes are significantly related to age, education level, service length and monthly wage. Gap analysis revealed poor understanding of decent work and low satisfaction with primary indicators of decent work. However, results suggest that workers increasingly value soft factors and the overall work experience, not only financial benefits. Cluster analysis identified four clusters of workers. This study contributes to understanding garment worker perceptions of decent work and provides implications for the operationalization of decent work in China's garment manufacturing industry.

The prospect of decent work, decent industrial relations and decent social relations in China: towards a multi-level and multi-disciplinary approach

“…and Google Scholar. After critically reviewing the literature, only four articles written in English on decent work in the Chinese context were identified (Chen, Perry, Yang, & Yang, 2017;Hannan, 2008;Lin-Hi & Blumberg, 2017, also see Table 1 for summary; Zhang & Zhao, 2014). Although several more articles on decent work, in general, mentioned China in passing, however, these articles were not included because they do not contain specific discussions about decent work in the Chinese context.…”

“…Production workers, the majority of whom are rural migrant workers, are the main group of workers for study. Only one study (Chen et al, 2017) used first-hand data. This suggests that research on Decent Work in the Chinese context remains a greenfield for more systematic and in-depth empirical investigation and conceptualization.…”

Sustainability Issues in Textile and Apparel Supply Chains

“…Finally, Chen et al [34] examined garment workers' concerns, satisfaction levels, and attitudes towards decent work in the Chinese garment manufacturing industry, collecting data from both blue-collar and white-collar workers. Results indicate that age, education level, and service length significantly influence workers' attitudes towards decent work.…”

Prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in blue-collar workers: association with individual and lifestyle-related factors

“…The high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in this group of workers may be related to the high physical demands. Effectively, blue-collar workers, as previously mentioned, represent an occupational group with higher physical workloads (Chen et al, 2017;Schreuder et al, 2008;Yildirim et al, 2014). When physical work demands exceed the safety margin of the individual physical capacities, the risk of physical deterioration increases and can be translated into musculoskeletal disorders, poor work ability and sickness absenteeism (Holtermann et al, 2010).…”

“…Blue-collar workers frequently represent an occupational category with higher physical workloads, spending most of their labor time standing or walking (Chen, Perry, Yang, & Yang, 2017;Schreuder, Roelen, Koopmans, & Groothoff, 2008;Yildirim, Gunay, & Karadibak, 2014). According to different authors, there is an annual prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in these employees ranging from 61% (Aghilinejad, Choobineh, Sadeghi, Nouri, & Ahmadi, 2012) to 72% (Ghasemkhani, Mahmudi, & Jabbari, 2008).…”