China’s labor question

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The 2010 Honda workers’ strike garnered global attention as a pivotal moment in China's labor disputes, marking a significant call for workers' rights in collective bargaining. This volume centers on the critical issue of representation, with contributors emphasizing the Chinese party-state's serious approach to social inequality protests. Although the state has enacted laws to manage dissent, their implementation is lacking, particularly regarding the absence of freedom of association. This gap perpetuates super-exploitation and leads to volatile labor relations. The first section offers an overview of the economic landscape of Chinese labor relations, including class transformations, labor law evolution, and government wage policies. The second part, grounded in extensive field research, examines the development of labor relations within specific industries. The third section addresses the Corporate Social Responsibility agenda in China, while the final part explores the link between land reform and social inequality. Contributors include Hansjörg Herr, Boy Lüthje, and Ngai-Ling Sum, many of whom are affiliated with the Global Labour University (GLU).