Chinese workers and labor conditions from state industry to globalized factories: How to stop the race to the bottom

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Volumn 1076, Issue , 2006, Pages 893-910

  Thorborg, Marina ^a  

^a Soedertoern Hoegskola ^*  (Sweden)

Author keywords

China; CSR; Household registration system; Labor laws; Labor standards; Migrant labor; Trade unions; Wages; Work conditions

Indexed keywords

CHINA; CHINESE; CONFERENCE PAPER; HUMAN RIGHTS; INDUSTRIAL WORKER; INDUSTRIALIZATION; LAW; MIGRANT WORKER; RURAL AREA; SALARY; SOCIAL STATUS; TRADE UNION; UNEMPLOYMENT;

EID: 33845648466     PISSN: 00778923     EISSN: 17496632     Source Type: Book Series    
DOI: 10.1196/annals.1371.071     Document Type: Conference Paper

References (85)

1. RISKIN, C., Z. RENWEI, L. SHI, Eds. China's Retreat From Equality Income Distribution and Economic Transition. M. E. Sharpe, 2001
2. and World Development Report 2006: Equity and Development, (WDR -2006), Part I, Inequity within and across countries, p. 25 ff.
3. THORBORG, M. Chinese Employment Policy in 1949-1978 With Special Emphasis on Women in Rural Production, in Chinese Economy Post-Mao, Joint Economy Committee, Congress of the United States, Nov. 1978, p.535 ff, 210 A-4 pages,
4. U.S: Government Printing Office, Washington D.C., Women in Non-Agricultural Production in Post-Revolutionary China, (Dissertation), 230 pp. Uppsala University, 1980.
5. FEI-LING, W. 2005. Organizing through Division and Exclusion China's "hu-kou" system. Stanford University Press.
6. Two types of very different kinds of "hu-kou"s exist, one category called permanent migrant registration - including to 90% already highly educated city and urban residents 2/3 of whom were transferred through their work - and the other one called temporary migrant registration - including over 75% rural migrants and 75 % of them only having received the lowest two levels of education and 87 % of then being engaged in factory jobs or business - according to census statistics from Shenzhen 1990, in Zai Liang and Yiu Por Chen, "Migration, Gender and Returns to Education in Shenzhen, China," in eds Garcia BRIGIDA, Anker RICHARD, Pinelli ANTONELLA in Women in the Labor Market in Changing Economies: Demographic Issues, Oxford University Press, 2003. In this paper we discuss temporary migrant registration.
7. YANG Yunyan and Chen JINYONG, "Transitional Labor Market Segmentation and Competition," in Social Sciences in China, Nr 4, 2000
8. CSR, Asia Weekly: on www.crs.asiacom/index.php/archives/2005/01/29/ (hereafter CSR), 1:37, p.4, China Radio Net, 2005.09.09.
9. and the figure 90 % in construction from Xinhua, China News agency, 2005.05.26., according to ACFTU, in CSR, 1:22, p. 5, Frost Stephen, "China View."
10. THORBORG, M. Industrialization in East- and Southeast Asia, Trends Concerning Women in the Work Force in Southeast Asia: Contemporary Perspectives, ed.s HEIKKILæ-HORN, MARJA-LEENA and SEPPæNEN JOUKO, HELSINKI, 1990, pp.119-132
11. and Book Review, Lin Yi-min, Between Politics and Market Forms Competition and Institutional Change in Post-Mao China for China Perspectives, No. 41, French Centre for Research on Contemporary China, Hong Kong, pp. 59-62, May-June 2002
12. and Lee Ching Kwan, "Three Patterns of Working Class Transition in China," in ed.s Rocca Jean-Loius and Mengin Francoise, "Politics in China Moving Frontiers," Palgrave, 2002.
13. "Round-tripping" refers to inland Chinese capital taking a detour via Hong Kong in order to enjoy the same economic benefits as foreign invested capital in Chinese SEZs.
14. THORBORG, M. The development of special economic zones in Asia, with reference to the People's Republic of China" in Proceedings of the 31st International Congress of Human Sciences in Asia and North Africa, 1983, Vol. 2, p.756 and 2002 op.cit.
15. SUNG, et al. "The Fifth Dragon (The emergence of the Pearl River Delta)," Addison Wesley, Singapore, 2004,
16. Yeh et al. eds, "Building a Competetive Pearl River Delta Region Cooperation, Coordination, and Planning," The University of Hong Kong, 2002,
17. Cheng Joseph Y. S., ed., "The Guangdong Development Model and Its Challenges," 1998,
18. and ed.,"Guangdong in the Twenty-first Century: Stagnation or Second Take-off?" 2000, both City University of Hong Kong Press,
19. and "Guangdong Preparing for the WTO Challenge," The Chinese University Press, 2003
20. Cheng J., and Macpherson S., ed.s, "Development in Southern China A Report on The Pearl RiverDelta Region including The Special Economic Zones", Longman Asia ltd, Hong Kong, 1995,
21. Lin George C.S., "Red Capitalism in South China Growth and Development of the Pearl River Delta," UBC Press, 1997
22. and "An Emerging Global City Region Economic and Social Integration Between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta" in ed. So Alvin, "China's Development Miracle" M.E. Sharpe, 2003,
23. Wu Weiping, "Pioneering Economic Reform in China's Special Economic Zones," Ashgate, UK, 1999.
24. Asia Monitor Resource Center Ltd, "At what Price? Workers in China," Hong Kong 1997.
25. Oxfam, "Turning the Garment Industry Inside Out Purchasing Practises and Workers' Lives," Oxfam, Hong Kong Briefing Paper, April 2004.
26. CSR, 1:44, p. 6, Frost S., "China View."
27. CSR, 1:14, p. 8, Frost S., "China View."
28. Contemporary News Express, 2005.04.28, according CSR, 1:18, p.10 in Frost S., "China View."
29. YEUNG, G. 2001. "Foreign Direct Investment and Investment Environment in Dongguan Municipality in Southern China," Journal of Contemporary China.
30. CSR, 1:14, p.8.
31. SOLINGER. 2002. "Labor in Limbo: Pushed by the Plan toward the Mirage of the Market" in eds ROCCA Jean-Loius and Mengin FRANCOISE, "Politics in China Moving Frontiers," Palgrave.
32. THORBORG, M. 2005. Where have all the Young Girls Gone, Chinese Fatal Daughter Discrimination in a Comparative Perspective, in China Perspectives, Hong Kong, No.86 in French and No. 56 in English, January-February, 2005.
33. FEN, W. & S. ANAN. 2003. "Double Jeopardy? Female Rural Migrant Laborers in Urban China, The Case of Shanghai" in Garcia Brigida et al. in Women in the Labor Market in Changing Economies: Demographic Issues, Oxford University Press.
34. QIANG, L. 2000. "Occupational Mobility of Rural Workers in Chinese Cities", in Social Sciences in China, Nr 4.
35. "17,000 workers strike at Uniden's Shenzhen plant." 2005. http://www.csr-asia.com/index.php/archives/2005/04/23/17000-workers-strike-at- unidens-shenzhen-plant/
36. "Migration as the Second Best Option Local Power and Off-farm Employment", in China Quarterly, Nr 181, March and Dagens Arbete, (Work of the day), Member magazine of the Metal Workers' Union of Sweden, Dokument, (Document) "Kinas arbetare har fått nog", (China's workers have had enough) Nr 9.
37. LINDSTRÖM, S. 2004. "Gränslösa kläder," (Limitless clothes), Atlas and,"Högt pris i Kina för billiga varor i Väst," (High price in China for cheap products in the West), in Dagens Nyheter, DN, (Daily News) January 19,2005.
38. CSR Asia on www.csr.asiacom/index.php/archives/2005/01/29/ p.1.
39. LI JULIETTE. 2005. "The Pearl River Delta migrant labor shortage" CSR 1: 9, p.2,
40. and Fong Mei,"A Chinese Puzzle" in Asian Business News in The Wall Street Journal 2004.08.16, online,.,
41. and "Labor shortage in Pearl River Delta" in www.amrc.org.hk/5210.htm.
42. PETTERSON, T. "Kineser ratar låglönejobb", (Chinese skip low wage jobs) DN, Daily News, Sweden, 2004.12.27.
43. FONG MEI, 2004.08.16.
44. ANDORS, "Women and Work in Shenzhen," Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars," Vol.20:3, 1988,
45. Fan C. Cindy, "Migration and Gender in China" in Lau Chungming and Shen Jianfa eds., China Review, Chinese University Press, Hong Kong, 2000,
46. HRC Human Rights in China, "Institionalized Exclusion: The tenous legal status of internal migrants in China's major cities," a report November 6, 2002, p.8,
47. Shi Li, "Migration of Rural Labor and Income Growth and Distribution in Rural Areas of China," in Social Sciences in China, Autumn 2000,
48. Solinger Dorothy J., "Citizenship Issues in China's Internal Migration: Comparisons with Germany and Japan," in Political Science Quarterly, Vol.114, No.3, 1999, pp. 455-78 and 2002,
49. MacLaren Anne E., "Chinese Women - Living and Working," RoutledgeCurzon 2004,
50. Ngai Pun, "Made in China Women Factory Workers in a Global Workplace," Hong Kong University Press, 2005.
51. LU YING, 2003. "Protection of Women Workers' Rights," (in Chinese), Women and Gender Study Centre, Sun Yat-Sen Univesrity, Guangzhou.
52. FONG MEI, 2004.08.16.
53. RMRB, Ren-min ri-bao, People's Daily, 2005.04.20.
54. Southern Morning News, 2005.04.05, in CSR, 1:15, p.9,
55. JINGBAO, 2005.05.31. and Southern Metro Daily, 2005.05.31., in CSR, 1:22, p 4.
56. CSR, 1:24, p 7,
57. Workers' Daily, 2005.04.05, in CSR, 1:15, p.8,
58. CSR, 1:37, p.3,
59. OECD,"OECD Review of agricultural Policies China," http://www.oecd.org/infobycountry/0,2981,en_2649_201185_1_70342_1_1_1,00.html
60. OXFAM, 2004.
61. CHAN, J. Wai-ling, "The end of the MFA and the rising tide of labor disputes in China" in CSR, 1:11, p. 6,
62. DE TRENK, Charles et al. "Red Chips and the Globalization of China's Enterprises", Asia 2000 Ltd, Hong Kong, 1998.
63. KRØLDRUP, Lars, "Social ansvarighed under lup" (Social responsibility being scrutinised) in Udvikling, (Development) October, Nr 7, 2005, monthly magazine from Danida, Danish Development Agency,
64. CSR, 1:44, p. 8.
65. CHAN, Anita, Labor Relations in Foreign-Funded Ventures, Chinese Trade Unions and the Prospects for Collective Bargaining," in ed. O'LEARY G., Adjusting to Capitalism: Chinese Workers and the State, 1998,
66. and "China's Workers Under Assault: The Exploitation of Labor in a Globalizing Economy," both Armonk, N.Y 2001,
67. Sargeson Sally, "Reworking China's proletariat," N.Y., St. Martin's Press, 1999,
68. Tomba Luigi, "Paradoxes of Labor Reform Chinese Labor Theory and Practise From Socialism To Market," University of Hawaii Press,2002 and Ngai 2005.
69. YI, C., S. DÉMURGER, M. FOURNIER, 2004. "Salary Differentials according to Sex in Urban China," in China Perspectives, No. 54, July, August 2004,
70. Ping Ping, "Gender Strategy in the Management of State-owned Enterprises and Women Workers' Dependence on the Enterprises," in Social Sciences in China, No.1, 2000.
71. Sina Finance, 2004.07.08, in CSR, 1:30, p. 11.
72. NGAI, 2005.
73. CSR, 1:37, p.5,FROST, S.
74. CSR, 1:42, p.1ff Frost S. and Ho Brian, "GoTone Nanchang CSR Forum."
75. CSR, 1:39, p 1-3, Frost S. and Ho Brian, "The year of CSR in China."
76. CSR, 1:45 p.11, Frost S., "China View."
77. CSR, 1:24, p. 4, "CSC9000T: An update from China" by Frost, S. in response to Lu, L. [Lett. to CSR].
78. SAI, Social Accountability International, "Overview of SA8000" in http://www.sa-intl.og/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageld=4732005. 11.15.
79. SACOM http://www.sacom.org.hk in CSR,1:34, p.6,
80. Frost, S., "Disney's supply chain in China."
81. China Business News, 2005.09.23, in CSR, 1:39 p.6,
82. FROST, S., "China View" and CSR, 1:40 p.8, and 1:44, p. 6,
83. Frost, S., "China View" and the Nanfang Weekend. 2005.10.27.
84. HRC, 2002, p.8.
85. GUANG, L. & S. LU SHENG. 2005. "Migration as the Second Best Option Local Power and Off-farm Employment", in China Quarterly, Nr 181.