China Shenzhen Dock Strike Ended after Pay Rise-Growing Connections Between HK and Shenzhen Dockers

China Shenzhen Dock Strike Ended after Pay Rise-Growing Connections Between HK and Shenzhen Dockers
http://www.hkctu.org.hk/cms/article.jsp?article_id=1075&cat_id=38
• Labour Update in Mainland China
Shenzhen Dock Strike Ended after Pay Rise

Labour Update in Mainland China
Shenzhen Dock Strike Ended after Pay Rise
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2013-10-25

On 1-2 September 2013, Hutchison’s Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT) workers went on strike in Shenzhen. According to information released by workers on internet, “Owing to the low payment and the company does not honour its promise to offer scholarship for workers’ children, 800 crane operators of the Yantian International Container Terminal demand for wage increase. All cargo loading operations stopped. The employer has failed to respond to the industrial action. The strike is on-going.” Hong Kong media reported that workers finally accepted a pay rise at CNY 1700, a 30% increase. The details are unknown.

In 2007, a strike broke out at the YICT. The Federation of Trade Unions of Yantian City subsequently intervened in the industrial action and set up a union in the company. The union negotiates pay rise and other issues with the company annually. Does the strike imply that the union and the negotiation mechanism cannot address to workers’ demands?

Being employees of the same corporation, juding from the results, it seems that the Yantian strike was more successful than that of Hong Kong. It is important to note that there are fundamental differences among the two strikes. The former were initiated by regular workers, while the later was started by subcontrating workers. Mainland netizen Qiuhuo’s article on Zhengbiancun, a labour news website in China, analysed the dock strikes in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. He stated that, “There are about 3300 workers at the YICT, about three-quarters, 2500, of them are subcontracting workers from over 20 subcontractors. However, the strikes in April 2007 and Spetember 2013 were initiated by regular workers who are smaller in number and having higher payment. It is more difficult for the subcontracting workers to go on strike. Their conditions are different.”

A report dated 4 September by the Hong Kong Liaison Office of the International Trade Union Confederation revealed that the YICT offered the regular workers with more reasonable terms of employment. For instance, 8-hour work a day, including a 10-minute break; the basic salary for crane operators is about CNY6000, the overall salary can reach CNY10000 a month after overtime. Yet, majority of the workers who are subcontracting workers and non-skilled workers do not enjoy the treatment.

Hong Kong dockers were deeply concerned about the struggle of their colleagues in Shenzhen. On their facebook page, they stated that, “Yantian dockers fight against the richest person in Hong Kong, [paralyze] the YICT operation, successfully claim fair wages. They should continue to monitor the situation and prepare for long battle because the company will not rectify problems in one day.”