The Development of Collective Bargaining in China: From “Collective Bargaining by Riot” to “Party State-led Wage Bargaining”

Abstract

Abstract2010 was a turbulent year for labour relations in China. The wave of strikes sparked by the Honda workers has highlighted the urgent need for trade union reform and workplace collective bargaining. In response to this turbulence, the Chinese government has stepped up efforts to promote the practice of collective bargaining, which had been neglected under the existing “individual rights-based” labour regulatory framework. In the midst of rapid social and policy changes, this article aims to examine the effect of labour strikes on the development of collective bargaining in China. The authors argue that, driven by growing labour protests, the collective negotiation process in China is undergoing a transition, from “collective consultation as a formality,” through a stage of “collective bargaining by riot,” and towards “party state-led collective bargaining.” This transition, however, is unlikely to reach the stage of “worker-led collective bargaining” in the near future.

Rising Power Clusters and the Challenges of Local and Global Standards

“…Workers have limited representation and collective bargaining rights with factory unions usually being led by management nominated officials. The national-level trade union, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is a direct arm of the state and the Party (Chan and Hui 2014).…”

“…The most obvious is through high levels of labour turnover, especially at the time of the annual Chinese new year holidays. At the extreme, there are now numerous cases of worker agitation and protest, including organised and wildcat strikes and at its most poignant form a number of cases of workers' suicides (Chan and Hui 2014).…”

Overcoming Collective Action Problems Facing Chinese Workers: Lessons from Four Protests against Walmart

“…This incipient worker-initiated formal election and collective bargaining not only contrasts with the Chinese official collective consultation dominated by management or the party-state but also differs from "collective bargaining by riot" (Chan and Hui 2014) in that it is openly organized and coordinated. As a form of collective action, worker-led collective bargaining can mobilize and maintain workers through its clear targets and sequential steps starting from election of representatives and aggregation of demands to pressuring management to the bargaining table (Li 2016).…”

Taming Labor: Workers’ Struggles, Workplace Unionism, and Collective Bargaining on a Chinese Waterfront

“…Friedman and Kuruvilla (2015) view such innovations as "experimentation" promoted by the state "in order to contain unrest" (182) but their impact is weakened on the one hand by the "highly decentralized approach" (192) adopted by state and on the other hand by the lack of accountability to the workers they covered (Pringle 2011). Following Silver, Chan andHui (2014) accept that globalization awards structural power to workers in some sectors in China.…”