An Exploration Into The Industrial Conflicts With Migrant Workers Being The Labor Force In The Pearl River Delta

This dissertation tries to explore the industrial conflicts with migrant workers being the labor force in the Pearl River Delta. By introducing the concept of the industrial relation, the main body of the industrial relation, the model of the industrial relation, it summarizes the forms, characteristics and causes of the industrial conflicts with migrant workers being the labor force. With analysis of the forms of migrant workers' resistance for maintaining rights and the framework to explain the situation, specific systematic structure is put forward on the basis of the reality.With the progress of Chinese industrialization and urbanization, more and more peasants come into the cities to take nonagricultural jobs, thus become migrant workers, as we call it. The economy is quite flourishing in the Pearl River Delta of Guang Dong Province, with most enterprises being owned privately or by businessmen from Hong kong, Macau, Taiwang or foreign countries. Vast labor forces are needed here and thus the Pearl River Delta has become the place where many migrant workers choose to work. As a social group, migrant worker is the outcome of the society classification and he transformation of property right of labor forces. The dual system makes them unable to gain equality to the urban citizens. Being relatively less educated, the large number of them with similar background tend to be in the weak side when seeking a job in the job market. Their rights are likely to be infringed upon during work. For example, with a relative low pay, they are usually delayed in getting it. Working overtime is quite common. No effective measures are taken to protect their hygiene and security. Being lack of social insurance, their health and lives are seriously being threatened and damaged. Their dignity is badly violated. All these become the most direct reason for industrial conflict. As a result, the industrial conflicts with migrant workers being the main labor force in the Pearl River Delta focus on rights. After their rights are infringed upon, the migrant workers start struggling to maintain their rights. Their resistance is more and more fierce, taking forms from keeping silence to loafing on job and going slow in the early stage, from threatening capital with their own lives to using law to protect themselves, from maintaining individual rights to collective rights, from debating with capital individually to going on strike, applying for an audience with the higher authorities to appeal for help and blocking roads, which results in more and more serious industrial conflicts.The industrial conflicts with migrant workers being the labor force in the Pearl River Delta is a typical example of industrial conflicts as well as the epitome of the transform of Chinese industrial relations. According to our research, labour unions, emplorers and government are the three major participants in the industrial relations, which are, in fact, the games played by the three participants. Their differences lead to different industrial relations and different industrial models which decide whether the industrial relations are harmonious or not. Although Chinese unionization has its higher level in the world, the power of unions ,esp. that of labour unions, is not so strong that Chinese government usually interfere with , sometimes even control the industrial relations. As a matter of course, capital playes an important role in Chese industrilazation which is not developted enough. Because of all the reasons above, Chines industrial relation has experienced a transition from unilateralism in the planned economy to the three-way relationship in the market economy, which is dominated by bilateralism between government and employers.In the Pearl River Delta migrant workers are mainly in medium and small-sized enterprises whose industrial relations are almost unilateralism by employers. Their enterprises are labour-intensive and imperfect in their management. In order to gain more profits, they ofen disobey some laws and regulations, reduce migrant workers' salaries and even violate their legal rights. As a result, Industrial conflicts have arisen from time to time. Therefore, to achieve a harmonious industrial relation is actually to rebuild the relations between labour unions, employers and government. In order to solve these problems, things should be done as follows: transform the government objectives; set labor-capital public management objectives of government; transform the functions of labor union; take an active part in coordinating industrial relation; transform the management conception of enterprise; take vigorous action to expand the social responsibilities of enterprise; make an effort to build harmonious industrial relation; perfect regulations and laws in relation to industrial relation.