【禁聞】中國工人的罷工

【新唐人2011年12月31日訊】今年，中國各地的罷工事件此起彼伏，特別是珠三角地區的私營加工企業，陷入了一股罷工潮。回顧一整年的罷工事件起因，大部分與勞動者收入過低有關，加上中國通貨膨脹嚴重，生活成本增加，工人們感嘆日子活不下去。而中國的工會組織在面對罷工事件，難以發揮作用；執法機關不能維護工人利益、追究廠方法律責任等，都是中國工人面臨的處境。

「LG中國」南京工廠8000名員工26號開始連續3天的罷工事件，表面看似已被平息。

據了解，「LG」韓籍員工年終獎金為6.5個月工資，但中國普通員工的獎金從去年的3個月工資減為1個月，這種差別待遇讓中國員工頗受歧視。雖然LG在罷工事件之後調整獎金為兩個月工資，但廠方還提出：帶頭鬧事的追究法律責任、再有鬧事的關閉南京工廠。

《每日經濟新聞》記者調查發現，年終獎的落差可能只是事件的導火索，LGD南京工廠的部分員工對公司早有怨言。主要是頻繁加班及薪酬較低。

《美國之音》年終報告：「2011中國罷工潮」提到，罷工事件的起因，大部分與勞動者收入過低有關。而中國通貨膨脹嚴重，生活成本增加，由於僱主的壓榨或者種種制度上的限制，許多人的收入跟不上通漲的腳步。

南京大學文學博士劉開明，現任「深圳當代社會觀察研究所」所長，他向《新唐人》表示，過去十來年，罷工事件一直在增長，特別是2008年實施「勞動合同法」和「勞動爭議仲裁法」後，勞動爭議案件快速增加。

劉開明：「到去年，我們看中國的勞動爭議案件已經達到120多萬宗，比08年又多了好多，08年是93萬宗。那麼今年的情況比去年還要厲害！」

私營企業僱主往往把員工工資壓到最低限度。劉開明認為，中國的經濟發展已經到了新的轉折點，過去利用廉價勞動力、剝削勞工以換取利潤的傳統時代，已經過去。

劉開明：「工人不再能接受這種糟糕的工作環境，他們要求得到尊重、他們要求分享企業發展的成果、他們要求保護他們的權益。」

一些經濟學家也認為，歐美市場今年對中國製造產品的訂單減少，中國企業的直接反應是削減成本，壓低工資，增加工人勞動時間，使得勞資關係雪上加霜。

「民生觀察」網站負責人劉飛躍：「現在受到國內外經濟環境的影響，訂單減少，很多企業就是生存很困難，有很多老闆都跑掉了嘛！這也就造成工人們他們的處境、他們的就業機會、他們的工資待遇等都受到很大的影響，就是這原因造成的罷工的現像一再發生。」

《華爾街日報》報導，中國製造業11月繼續縮減，衡量製造業增長規模的採購經理人指數為2009年以來的最低水平。《華爾街日報》援引匯豐銀行經濟研究專家屈宏斌的話說，中國經濟仍然面對出口下滑的風險。報導說，明年珠三角地區的製造業將面臨更大壓力。

另一方面，地方政府在發生罷工時往往會出面在勞資雙方之間斡旋。中國勞動通訊的報告說，「維穩」已經成為當局的一種執政的模式。罷工等工人集體行動一直被視為「社會不穩定因素」，被列入維穩的對像。批評者認為，中國缺乏勞工集體談判制度，在政府介入下，工廠只會看政府的眼色，不會真正顧及員工利益。

博客於斌在博文中說，面對韓國LG工廠明顯的不合理和非法、歧視的行為，為甚麼我們坐以忍受？中國政府的執法機關為甚麼不出來維護工人利益、追究廠方法律責任？中國的工會組織幹甚麼去了？他說，在這起事件里根本就沒有看到「工會」的影子。

新唐人記者陳漢、周平、肖顏採訪綜合報導。

Chinese workers』strikes

This year, a wave of strikes happened in China『s private

processing enterprises in the Pearl River Delta region.

On reviewing the causes of strikes over the whole year,

most of them are related to low wages for the workers.

Inflation is serious in China, and the cost of living increases.

So the workers are worried that they cannot survive.

However, it』s difficult for the labor unions to play a role.

Law enforcement agencies can』t protect workers』 interests

by investigating factories』 liabilities.

All these are situations that Chinese worker shave to face

every day.

Eight thousand employees of "LG China" in Nanjing carried

out a 3-day consecutive strike on December 26th.

On the surface, things seem to have been settled.

It is understood that Korean employees of "LG" have year-end

bonuses of more than six months salary.

But the bonus of Chinese ordinary staff decreased from three

months salary to only one month』s salary in the last year.

This difference in treatment makes Chinese employees feel

discriminated against.

Although LG adjusted the bonus to two months salary

after the strike,

the factory also made it clear that the leader of the strike

will be investigated. There may be legal consequences.

The factory in Nanjing will be closed if workers strike again.

Reporters of "Daily Economic News" found that the difference

in year-end bonuses may just be the fuse to spark the strike.

Some employees of LG factory in Nanjing complained before

the strike The main reasons are frequent overtime and low pay.

The year-end report "Voice of America", "2011 China strikes"

identified causes were related to the low incomes of workers.

Inflation in China is serious; the cost of living increases. Many

people』s incomes can not keep up with the pace of inflation.

Workers are exploited by their Employers and restricted by

various institutional constraints,

Liu Kaiming, Doctor of Nanjing University and incumbent

director Institute of Shenzhen Contemporary Observation

Told NTD that, in the past decade, strikes have been growing.

Especially since implementation of the "Labor Contract Law"

and "labor dispute Arbitration Law" in 2008, the cases of

labor disputes have rapidly increased.

Liu Kaiming: "Last year, we found that the labor dispute cases

in China had reached more than 1.2 million.

This is a lot more than in 2008, which were 930 thousand cases.

And the situation in 2011 is even more serious than last year."

The employers of private enterprises keep staff salaries to a

minimum.

Liu Kaiming thinks that China's economic development has

reached a new turning point.

The traditional era, with low cost labor and exploitation of

labor for profits, has passed.

Liu Kaiming: "Workers no longer accept such a poor work

environment. They demand to be respected.

They want to share the results of the enterprise』s development.

They want to protect their interests."

Some economists also believe that U.S. and European markets

reduced orders of China-made products this year.

The direct response of Chinese employers is to cut costs, cut

salary, increase work hours, making labor relations even worse.

Liu Feiyue, webmaster of "Watch the people's livelihood” said:

“At present, affected by domestic and international economic environment,

with order reduced, many enterprises are finding

it very difficult to survive. Many bosses have run away from the situation.

The workers are very worried about this their job opportunity

and salary. That』s why the strikes happened repeatedly."

The "Wall Street Journal" reported that China's manufacturing

sector continued to shrink in November.

The purchasing manager index of measuring the scale of

manufacturing growth went to the lowest level since 2009.

The paper quoted Qu Hongbin, HSBC's economic expert who

said China's economy still faces the risk of decline in exports.

It reported that next year, the manufacturing sector in the

Pearl River Delta region will face even greater pressure.

On the other hand, when strikes happen, the local government

often come to mediate between employees and employers.

China Labor Communications reported "maintaining stability"

has become a model of the government ruling.

Strikes and workers』 collective actions are regarded as "social

instability" and listed in the rules of maintaining stability.

Critics argue that China lacks a collective bargaining system.

If the government intervenes, the factories will follow blindly.

The employers will not really take the workers』 interests

into account.

Netizen Yu Bin said in his blog when facing the manifestly

unreasonable, illegal and discriminatory behavior

Displayed by South Korea's LG factory,

why do we have to endure?

Why don』t Chinese government's law enforcement agencies

maintain the interests of workers and investigate the factory?

Where was the labor union? And what was it doing? He said in

this incident no one had seen anything of the "labor unions".

NTD reporters Chen Han, Zhou Ping and Xiao Yan