Protecting labor rights from afar a tough job for China

By Chen Chenchen Source:Global Times Published: 2012-12-3 0:15:14

According to news reports, Singapore will deport 29 Chinese bus drivers who were involved in a strike last week, while five other Chinese drivers have been arrested for allegedly instigating the walkout. The Chinese government, while actively communicating with the employer involved, Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT), and related Singaporean government departments, has urged the Singaporean side to pay attention to the Chinese drivers' reasonable appeals for fairer treatment such as equal pay for equal work.

Within Singapore, the incident has caused debate over whether its economy relies heavily on cheap migrant labor.

But with Singapore witnessing domestic labor shortages due to its falling birth rate, it has had to deal with labor disputes and appeals from the sizable population of foreign workers.

The Singaporean government has also admitted that SMRT "could have done better in managing their labor grievances and concerns."

For the Chinese side, the protection of overseas workers' legitimate rights poses a diplomatic challenge. By June, China had sent 6.09 million people to work in more than 160 countries and regions around the world, making the nation one of the world's largest labor exporters. And this tendency is growing increasingly prominent. In the first six months of this year, China exported 216,000 workers, a 2.4 percent increase from a year earlier.

These workers are increasingly aware of their rights. In recent years, more cases have been reported involving Chinese overseas workers organizing negotiations, protests or strikes for better treatment.

Such disputes can easily be politicized, although they are in essence labor conflicts. Diplomatic authorities on both sides are inevitably involved, especially when such disputes escalate into violent activities.

A large proportion of overseas Chinese workers are still labeled "cheap labor" or "job stealers," and discrimination against them does exist. Recently in Canada, HD Mining's decision to bring in Chinese workers sparked a court dispute during which two major unions appealed to the Federal Court to overturn the decision. Local Chinese already expressed their disappointment over the discriminatory sentiments raised.

A lot of subtle, small things can be done in this situation. For instance, specific training should be provided for workers who plan to go overseas, so they have better knowledge of local customs and laws, and can better deal with their foreign employers and counterparts.



Posted in: Observer

blog comments powered by Disqus