The Honda strike in China affects could be spreading

DNDF

ZHONGSHAN Chine, 14 June (Reuters) – The social movement which affects a supplier of the Japanese group Honda (7267.T: Quoting) in China could extend to other companies in the Chinese manufacturing sector in which workers are demanding a better share of economic growth. Monday, around a hundred employees gathered at the Honda Lock factory, which produces locks for Honda in Zhongshan, affected by work stoppages since Wednesday.

The situation there remained relatively calm. Last week, several hundred workers had gathered in front of the company gates and the riot police had briefly prevented the employees from leaving.

Several businesses in the Pearl River Delta, in southern China, as well as other regions are affected by social movements.

Besides Honda Lock, two suppliers of the Japanese car manufacturer in China were affected by work stoppages. These are factories producing transmissions and exhaust pipes. The conflicts there were resolved by an increase in wages.

“We have already seen an increase in the number of strikes in recent years, and private and 2007 and 2008, when the new labor legislation came into force. and, there was a pause in 2009 and now we see this trend starting again”, explique Liu Kaiming, general director of the Institute of Contemporary Observation, a private organization in Shenzhen specializing in social issues.

“The strike at Honda is an extension of that (…) It also shows that there is a trend driven by a new generation of migrant workers. They express their grievances more easily and are less inclined than the older generation to accept long hours and poor working conditions., He adds.

QUALIFIED STAFF

Honda Lock management proposed a salary increase of 100 yuan (15 dollars) and a bonus of 100 yuan, but some employees believe it is insufficient.

Faced with these offers from management, a factory worker, however, says he is optimistic. “They urged us to return to work for the next few days and some channels were restarted”, he said as he left the factory on Monday.

Some companies reportedly resorted to attempts to intimidate strikers and the employment of temporary workers. This information could not be independently confirmed..

" In general, working conditions in automobile assembly plants are better than in other sectors, whether in terms of salaries or general conditions”, note Wen Xiaoyi, researcher at the China Institute of Industrial Relations in Beijing.

“But conditions at suppliers tend to be worse. The reason is that car assembly requires personnel who are often qualified and have received specialized training.. The production of spare parts is less sophisticated, workers are less qualified and their wages are lower”, added Wen.

Around fifty injured in clashes in a factory on strike

It is in this context of social unrest that around fifty people were injured in clashes in a factory with Taiwanese capital in eastern China, some of which 2.000 employees went on strike to demand better wages and working conditions.

Around fifty KOK employees, specialized in rubber parts for cars including, have been hurt, including five seriously, in clashes with local security guards who tried to prevent them from demonstrating in the street, in Kunshan, a city in Jiangsu province, said China Daily.

“The police beat us indiscriminately (…) It didn't matter whether we were men or women.", an employee told the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post, according to which at least 30 people were arrested.

A KOK Machinery spokesperson contacted by AFP on Wednesday indicated that work had resumed normally and declined to comment further..

Local authorities also did not wish to respond immediately., simply confirming the resumption of factory activities.

An alleged list of demands from KOK employees — 13 points in total — was published on a website.

She notably reports temperatures that are too high on the site and demands financial compensation., as well as compensation for housing that “became too expensive”, complains that old employees earn the same as new entrants and demands a new system of increasing salaries every year.

The South China Morning Post reports reports of temperatures of 40 at 50 degrees in the workshops and “unbearable” smells of rubber.

These events come as several cases have highlighted a rise in social protest among Chinese workers., each time affecting companies with foreign capital.

The working conditions of workers in China and their remuneration have been widely debated in recent weeks after a series of suicides in the Chinese factories of Taiwanese Foxconn, manufacturer of technological components for the biggest brands on the planet like Apple, Dell, Sony et Hewlett-Packard.

Foxconn announced a wage hike of nearly 70% of its Chinese employees as of October 1, which will spend on average 1.200 yuan to 2.000 yuan (245 euros).

in parallel, the Japanese automaker's assembly plants were paralyzed for more than a week, until last Friday, by a strike at the Honda spare parts factory.

The conflict was barely resolved by a salary increase of 24%, a new strike broke out on Monday in a joint venture established by a Honda subsidiary, in Foshan (sud).

Honda said Wednesday that two of its assembly plants in China remained closed because of the move., contradicting information from the New China news agency.

Finally according to Taiwan media, a strike recently affected another Taiwanese, the telephone component manufacturer Merry Electronics which quickly put an end to it by raising wages in its Shenzhen factory (Guangdong) from 16,7%.