Steelworkers in China Erupt

Peaceful steel protesters hold the slogan “We need to survive. Our children need schooling.”

In a fascinating analysis in the official Chinese newspaper, Global Times, the paper concludes that the weakness of Chinese labor unions explains violence that has spread across a number of steel plants.  In two cases, steel executives have been beaten to death by mobs.  Now, steelworkers are taking to the streets to protest the privatization of their plants, which often leads to job losses and various atrocities.  The labor unions have been of no help to the workers.

Here’s one amazing story:

Then there was the case of Zhang Haichao, forced to have his chest opened by surgeons to prove he had a deadly lung disease after his employer refused to provide a certificate showing he had been working in a polluted environment. Not one mention of a trade union has appeared in any media report.

It seems that the unions are not adapting to their new responsibilities under a capitalist economy.  As one analyst notes:

Zhou Yongkun, a professor of Suzhou University in Jiangsu Province, explained in his blog why the trade union under the current economic system is incapable of solving disputes.

“Under the traditional Chinese centrally planned economic system, where the government authority was combined with company management, the right of freedom of association with others was easily considered as an anti-government organization as the trade union was capable of solving disputes between employers and employees,” he said.

“However, under the market economy system, companies are independent from the government in dealing with their management issues and the trade union has transformed into a tool for shareholders.