Labour research under coercive authoritarianism: Comparative reflections on fieldwork challenges in China

Abstract

This article examines conditions for the conduct of qualitative research on labour and industrial relations in China since the shift to a coercive form of authoritarian governance in 2012. In comparing the experiences of three doctoral students from Europe, Hong Kong and mainland China respectively who conducted fieldwork in China between 2015 and 2017, the article argues that coercive authoritarianism has significantly increased the challenges of fieldwork, resulting in a need for inventive coping strategies. The study highlights a need to establish informal networks and reciprocal trust relationships, and points to the elevated importance of ethical considerations in fieldwork on labour and industrial relations in China.

“When nobody listens, go online”: The “807” labor movement against workplace sexism in China's tech industry

“…Therefore, worker organization in Alibaba can have a significant impact on the work ethics and workplace culture throughout China's tech industry. Second, researchers note that the current leadership of China's government has employed a significantly more coercive and repressive approach to governing labor activism (Fuchs et al., 2019). This includes a crackdown on labor NGOs and mass arrests of labor activists (Franceschini & Lin, 2020), which have heightened the risks associated with and have a demoralizing effect on labor activism in China today.…”

Labor-Management Relations in Autocratic Regimes

“…We call for further research on this subject, albeit with immense challenges (Fuchs et al 2019), to shed light on the changes, resilience, diversity, and dynamics of autocratic regimes and how these impact labor-management relations. Future research should also adopt a pluralistic approach to investigating signs of collaboration between labor and management to extend current knowledge generated primarily from a protest dynamic lens.…”

The role of the state in influencing work conditions in China's internet industry: Policy, evidence, and implications for industrial relations

“…During the period of economic transition, as Zhou (2013: 355) observed, workers have become increasingly precarious due to the massive growth of informal jobs in the labour market across all economic sectors, which is characterised by the prevalence of temporary work, casual work and freelancing. Consequently, there has been an intensification of labour conflicts in China, which has generated considerable pressure on governments at all levels (Fuchs et al, 2019). In response, the state has expanded its intervention in the industrial relations system, in order to regulate labour conflicts and maintain social stability.…”

“…Recent research also argues that the Chinese government adopts a ‘bifurcated strategy’ to demobilise labour activism: on the one hand, the state enhances the protection of individual worker rights by legislation; on the other hand, it prioritises mediation over adjudication, which ‘allows local state actors to work together to provide flexible and swift solutions to disputes’ (Chen, 2016: 35). In addition, Fuchs et al (2019) point out that in the current administration, Chinese governments have become more aggressive in controlling and repressing labour activists, academics and civil society in China. This includes police crackdowns on labour non-governmental organisations in 2015 in the cities of Guangzhou and Fushan, and the mass arrest of labour activists and undercover researchers in 2017 (BBC, 2017).…”