Beyond the Iron Rice Bowl

Regimes of Production and Industrial Relations in China
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-3-593-39890-7
Verlag: Campus Verlag GmbH

Buch, Englisch, Band 4, 356 Seiten, Großformatiges Paperback. Klappenbroschur, Format (B × H): 141 mm x 213 mm, Gewicht: 449 g

Reihe: Labour Studies

Der Band bietet die erste systematische Studie über Arbeitsbedingungen und industrielle Beziehungen in den Kernindustrien der chinesischen Exportwirtschaft. Auf der Basis von über dreißig Fallstudien multinationaler Unternehmen der Automobil-, Elektronik- und Textilindustrie beleuchten die Autoren die verschiedenen Produktionsregime im Kontext globaler und nationaler Vernetzung. Dabei untersuchen sie auch die Rolle der Gewerkschaften sowie die Bedeutung von kollektiven Tarifverhandlungen und betrieblicher Mitbestimmung in China.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lüthje, Boy

Luo, Siqi

Zhang, Hao

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftssektoren & Branchen Fertigungsindustrie Sonstige Fertigungsindustrien
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftssektoren & Branchen Fertigungsindustrie Textilindustrie
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Internationale Wirtschaft Volkswirtschaften einzelner Länder und Regionen
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftssektoren & Branchen Fertigungsindustrie Automobilindustrie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contents

Introduction

I . Socio-Economic Transformation, Industrial Relations

and Regimes of Production in China

1 . Changing Labor Relations - Conceptual Approaches

and Perspectives

2 . Diverging Patterns of Economic Restructuring and Control .

3 . Regimes of Production in Core Industries

4 . Research Methodology and Outline of Case Studies

II . Labor Relations and Regimes of Production in the

Automobile Sector

1 . Introduction

2 . Industry Structure and Basic Trends of Development

3 . Models of Production and Supplier Networks .

4 . Workforce Structure and Labor Relations

5 . Introduction to Case Studies

5 .1 Automobile Assembly Case Studies

5 .1 .1 Automobile Assembly Case Study 1

5 .1 .2 Automobile Assembly Case Study 2

5 .1 .3 Automobile Assembly Case Study 3 (2 Factories)

5 .1 .4 Automobile Assembly Case Study 4

5 .2 Automotive Suppliers Case Studies

5 .2 .1 Automotive Suppliers Case Study 1

5 .2 .2 Automotive Suppliers Case Study 2

5 .2 .3 Automotive Suppliers Case Study 3

5 .2 .4 Automotive Suppliers Case Study 4

III . Labor Relations and Regimes of Production in the

Electronics Industry

1 . Introduction

2 . Industry Structure and Basic Trends of Development .

3 . Models of Production and Supplier Networks

4 . Workforce Structure and Labor Relations .

5 . Introduction to Case Studies .

5 .1 Electronics Industry Case Studies: Brand-Name Firms

5 .1 .1 Electronics Industry Case Study 1

5 .1 .2 Electronics Industry Case Study 2

5 .1 .3 Electronics Industry Case Study 3

5 .2 Electronics Industry Case Studies: Contract Manufacturers

5 .2 .1 Electronics Industry Case Study 4

5 .2 .2 Electronics Industry Case Study 5 (3 Factories)

5 .3 Electronics Industry Case Studies: Electronics

Component Suppliers

5 .3 .1 Electronics Industry Case Study 6

5 .3 .2 Electronics Industry Case Study 7

5 .3 .3 Electronics Industry Case Study 8

IV . Labor Relations and Regimes of Production in the

Textile and Garment Industry

1 . Introduction

2 . Industry Structure and Basic Trends of Development

3 . Models of Production and Supplier Networks

4 . Workforce Structure and Labor Relations

5 . Introduction to Case Studies

5 .1 Textile and Garment Industry Case Studies

5 .1 .1 Textile and Garment Industry Case Study 1

5 .1 .2 Textile and Garment Industry Case Study 2

5 .1 .3 Textile and Garment Industry Case Study 3

5 .1 .4 Textile and Garment Industry Case Study 4

5 .1 .5 Textile and Garment Industry Case Study 5

V . Regimes of Production and Labor Standards

1 . Summary Discussion of Regimes of Production

2 . Auto Industry Case Studies Summary

3 . Electronics Industry Case Studies Summary

4 . Garment Industry Case Studies Summary

5 . Diversity of Production Regimes and Instability of Workplace

Relations

6 . Management Prerogative and Labor Standards

7 . No New Deal for Workers in China .

8 . Regimes of Production and Industrial Conflict: the 2010

Autoworkers' Strikes in South China

9 . Making Tripartism Work? Policies of Labor Reform

in Guangdong Province

Table and Figure Credits

References

Index

ContentsIntroduction I . Socio-Economic Transformation, Industrial Relationsand Regimes of Production in China 1 . Changing Labor Relations - Conceptual Approachesand Perspectives 2 . Diverging Patterns of Economic Restructuring and Control .3 . Regimes of Production in Core Industries 4 . Research Methodology and Outline of Case Studies II . Labor Relations and Regimes of Production in theAutomobile Sector 1 . Introduction 2 . Industry Structure and Basic Trends of Development 3 . Models of Production and Supplier Networks .4 . Workforce Structure and Labor Relations 5 . Introduction to Case Studies 5 .1 Automobile Assembly Case Studies 5 .1 .1 Automobile Assembly Case Study 1 5 .1 .2 Automobile Assembly Case Study 2 5 .1 .3 Automobile Assembly Case Study 3 (2 Factories) 5 .1 .4 Automobile Assembly Case Study 4 5 .2 Automotive Suppliers Case Studies 5 .2 .1 Automotive Suppliers Case Study 1 5 .2 .2 Automotive Suppliers Case Study 2 5 .2 .3 Automotive Suppliers Case Study 3 5 .2 .4 Automotive Suppliers Case Study 4 III . Labor Relations and Regimes of Production in theElectronics Industry 1 . Introduction 2 . Industry Structure and Basic Trends of Development .3 . Models of Production and Supplier Networks 4 . Workforce Structure and Labor Relations .5 . Introduction to Case Studies . 5 .1 Electronics Industry Case Studies: Brand-Name Firms 5 .1 .1 Electronics Industry Case Study 1 5 .1 .2 Electronics Industry Case Study 2 5 .1 .3 Electronics Industry Case Study 3 5 .2 Electronics Industry Case Studies: Contract Manufacturers 5 .2 .1 Electronics Industry Case Study 4 5 .2 .2 Electronics Industry Case Study 5 (3 Factories) 5 .3 Electronics Industry Case Studies: ElectronicsComponent Suppliers 5 .3 .1 Electronics Industry Case Study 6 5 .3 .2 Electronics Industry Case Study 7 5 .3 .3 Electronics Industry Case Study 8IV . Labor Relations and Regimes of Production in theTextile and Garment Industry 1 . Introduction 2 . Industry Structure and Basic Trends of Development 3 . Models of Production and Supplier Networks 4 . Workforce Structure and Labor Relations 5 . Introduction to Case Studies 5 .1 Textile and Garment Industry Case Studies 5 .1 .1 Textile and Garment Industry Case Study 1 5 .1 .2 Textile and Garment Industry Case Study 2 5 .1 .3 Textile and Garment Industry Case Study 3 5 .1 .4 Textile and Garment Industry Case Study 4 5 .1 .5 Textile and Garment Industry Case Study 5 V . Regimes of Production and Labor Standards 1 . Summary Discussion of Regimes of Production 2 . Auto Industry Case Studies Summary 3 . Electronics Industry Case Studies Summary 4 . Garment Industry Case Studies Summary 5 . Diversity of Production Regimes and Instability of WorkplaceRelations 6 . Management Prerogative and Labor Standards 7 . No New Deal for Workers in China .8 . Regimes of Production and Industrial Conflict: the 2010Autoworkers' Strikes in South China 9 . Making Tripartism Work? Policies of Labor Reformin Guangdong Province Table and Figure Credits References Index

Leseproben

I . Socio-Economic Transformation, Industrial Relations and Regimes of Production in China

As China has become one of the largest manufacturing economies in the world, a better understanding of labor relations in key industries and factories in China is important . This is particularly true in the light of the ongoing reform of labor laws, the attempts by Chinese trade unions to expand their presence in multinational enterprises, and the social upheaval that has rocked key exporting industries in the wake of the global recession which began in 2008 . We have to understand why labor relations in China have proven remarkably stable in spite of the massive social changes during the recent two decades . But we also have to take a sharper look at the prospects and conditions for reforming trade unions, for labor organizing in the growing non-union sectors of the Chinese economy, for collective bargaining, and for democratic workplace representation .

Given this purpose, the conceptual framework of this report will be outlined in the following chapter . We start from theoretical reflections, linking and "marrying" Chinese and Western perspectives on industrial relations research and establishing the general framework we use to interpret current labor relations in China . We then trace key tendencies of economic restructuring, determining the development of labor relations in the leading sectors of the Chinese exporting economy . Having established this background, we develop a typology of regimes of production, providing the basic framework for comparative studies of the regimes of production presented in the following three chapters .

1 . Changing Labor Relations - Conceptual Approaches and Perspectives

Debates on the reform of labor policies are a persistent topic among labor experts in China, although not highly publicized and mostly disregarded by Western media . These debates focus on the question of how to create tripartite mechanisms including management, trade unions and government, to ensure harmonious labor relations in an advancing industrial economy . Many aspects of these debates seem surprisingly familiar to Westerners . Chinese scholars often resort to concepts of tripartism, corporatism or social partnership as they developed following the birth of modern industrial relations systems during the New Deal period in the U .S . and Germany's seminal works council legislation in the early 1920s . Western-based academics have also used such concepts to analyze the current changes in Chinese labor relations

- sometimes coupled with the hope that labor systems rooted in European or Japanese coordinated market economies may promise a better future to Chinese workers than the market liberal U .S . model .

However, such an analysis has to deal with two basic difficulties . First, Chinese trade unions (as well as employers' organizations) mostly lack popular legitimacy and independence from government and capital . These are the basic conditions for representing workers' interests within tripartite systems of bargaining and policymaking . Second, and perhaps more important, the restructuring of labor relations in China is increasingly taking place under those Western and Japanese models of production and labor management-cooperation that have undermined the prevailing forms of collective representation, industry-wide bargaining and job security . That is, they have broken up the foundations of what was known as the post-War social contract in industrialized countries . In spite of the truly unique characteristics of China's transformation, globalized patterns of capitalist organization and control have raised some very familiar bread-and-butter problems of trade unionism and labor organizing .

Coverage of labor issues in Chinese mainstream media is dominated by neo-liberal rhetoric adopted from Western business schools . Yet the more serious industrial relations research in China rais

I . Socio-Economic Transformation, Industrial Relations and Regimes of Production in ChinaAs China has become one of the largest manufacturing economies in the world, a better understanding of labor relations in key industries and factories in China is important . This is particularly true in the light of the ongoing reform of labor laws, the attempts by Chinese trade unions to expand their presence in multinational enterprises, and the social upheaval that has rocked key exporting industries in the wake of the global recession which began in 2008 . We have to understand why labor relations in China have proven remarkably stable in spite of the massive social changes during the recent two decades . But we also have to take a sharper look at the prospects and conditions for reforming trade unions, for labor organizing in the growing non-union sectors of the Chinese economy, for collective bargaining, and for democratic workplace representation .Given this purpose, the conceptual framework of this report will be outlined in the following chapter . We start from theoretical reflections, linking and "marrying" Chinese and Western perspectives on industrial relations research and establishing the general framework we use to interpret current labor relations in China . We then trace key tendencies of economic restructuring, determining the development of labor relations in the leading sectors of the Chinese exporting economy . Having established this background, we develop a typology of regimes of production, providing the basic framework for comparative studies of the regimes of production presented in the following three chapters .1 . Changing Labor Relations - Conceptual Approaches and PerspectivesDebates on the reform of labor policies are a persistent topic among labor experts in China, although not highly publicized and mostly disregarded by Western media . These debates focus on the question of how to create tripartite mechanisms including management, trade unions and government, to ensure harmonious labor relations in an advancing industrial economy . Many aspects of these debates seem surprisingly familiar to Westerners . Chinese scholars often resort to concepts of tripartism, corporatism or social partnership as they developed following the birth of modern industrial relations systems during the New Deal period in the U .S . and Germany's seminal works council legislation in the early 1920s . Western-based academics have also used such concepts to analyze the current changes in Chinese labor relations- sometimes coupled with the hope that labor systems rooted in European or Japanese coordinated market economies may promise a better future to Chinese workers than the market liberal U .S . model .However, such an analysis has to deal with two basic difficulties . First, Chinese trade unions (as well as employers' organizations) mostly lack popular legitimacy and independence from government and capital . These are the basic conditions for representing workers' interests within tripartite systems of bargaining and policymaking . Second, and perhaps more important, the restructuring of labor relations in China is increasingly taking place under those Western and Japanese models of production and labor management-cooperation that have undermined the prevailing forms of collective representation, industry-wide bargaining and job security . That is, they have broken up the foundations of what was known as the post-War social contract in industrialized countries . In spite of the truly unique characteristics of China's transformation, globalized patterns of capitalist organization and control have raised some very familiar bread-and-butter problems of trade unionism and labor organizing .Coverage of labor issues in Chinese mainstream media is dominated by neo-liberal rhetoric adopted from Western business schools . Yet the more serious industrial relations research in China rais

Über Autor(innen)

Boy Lüthje ist Mitarbeiter am Institut für Sozialforschung Frankfurt und Visiting Professor an der Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou,China. Siqi Luo ist Industriesoziologin und promovierte 2012 an der Universität Frankfurt. Hao Zhang ist Promotionsstudent an derCornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Boy Lüthje ist Mitarbeiter am Institut für Sozialforschung Frankfurt und Visiting Professor an der Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. Siqi Luo ist Industriesoziologin und promovierte 2012 an der Universität Frankfurt. Hao Zhang ist Promotionsstudent an der Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.