Taming Labor: Workers’ struggles, workplace unionism and collective bargaining on a Chinese waterfront

Main author: Pringle, Tim
Other authors: Meng, Quan
Format: Journal Article           
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id eprints-24689
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description This paper draws on data acquired in semi-structured interviews to address the question of effective workplace trade unionism in China. These are rarely-sighted phenomena due to rigid prohibitions on organizing outside the Party-led All-China Federation of Trade Unions. Indeed some commentators are extinct. Evidence from a case study of the Yantian International Container Terminal suggests that this is not necessarily the case. The authors do not underestimate the very real constraints on labor organizing but rather turn the spotlight on working class power in the wider context of labor militancy and cautious trade union reform. We argue that the YICT union developed a system of annual collective bargaining in order to ‘tame’ the power of militant dockworkers and prevent strikes. This required an effective enterprise-level trade union that was nevertheless able to manipulate members’ somewhat ambiguous acceptance of its role.
format Journal Article
author Pringle, Tim
author_facet Pringle, Tim
Meng, Quan
authorStr Pringle, Tim
author_letter Pringle, Tim
author2 Meng, Quan
author2Str Meng, Quan
title Taming Labor: Workers’ struggles, workplace unionism and collective bargaining on a Chinese waterfront
publisher Sage
publishDate 2018
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/24689/