Strikers demand right to unionise; Industrial action at Japanese-funded electronics factory enters fourth day

[Jonathan Lassen <jonathan.lassen@gmail.com>]

SCMP April 21

Strikers demand right to unionise; Industrial action at Japanese-funded electronics factory enters fourth day

 Chow Chung-yan in Shenzhen


Protests by thousands of workers demanding the right to set up a trade
union at a Japanese-funded electronics factory in Shenzhen entered
their fourth day yesterday.

 The
industrial action began when workers at Uniden Electronics Products in
Fuyong town walked off the job protesting against what they said was
the Japanese management's refusal to allow them to set up a trade union.


They were also angry over the sacking of several colleagues who
organised a massive protest last year to fight for better salaries and
working conditions. 

 The Shenzhen
government yesterday mobilised riot police and blocked the protesters
from marching out of the factory, fearing the rally would trigger a
fresh round of anti-Japanese protests.


The workers said they would not call off the action until management
met their demands. Calls to the company were not answered yesterday.


Thousands of Uniden workers in Shenzhen went on strike in December to
protest against low salaries and the alleged beatings of mainland
workers by a Japanese supervisor.

 The company eventually promised to raise salaries and said it would allow workers to set up a trade union.

 But angry workers yesterday accused management of breaking its promises.


"They said they would let us form our own union and promised not to
sack anyone who organised the protest. But after a few weeks, they
sacked our leaders under some ridiculous excuses," one worker said
yesterday. "They are now trying to stop us from setting up the union."

 The employees said they had been required to work 11 hours a day and earned as little as 480 yuan a month.


Their conditions have improved since last year's protest, with
management cutting daily shifts down to 101/2 hours and raising the
basic salary to 800 yuan.

 But the workers still insisted on the right to form their own trade union.


"We feel we have been treated like slaves. We need to band together and
fight for our interests. That is our right," said one protester.

 Uniden is a cordless phone maker headquartered in Tokyo. The Shenzhen factory is the company's main manufacturing plant.