Labor Union's Protection: An Important Way To Protect Migrant Workers' Rights

As a special group in the transitional period, migrant workers have contributed a lot for the economic and social development of China. However, they still live in an underprivileged state and their rights are sometimes violated. To maintain migrant workers' rights is a significant problem in the sphere of sociological scope. Since labor union is regarded as "representative of workers' interests", its role decides that it should be the "protector" of migrant workers. Therefore, it is of much significance to verify labor union's role in the protection of migrant workers' rights.This thesis is to give a preliminary analysis to labor union's protection of migrant workers' rights by case studying Yi Wu labor union's practice. Its developing process can be described as from legal assistance to social protection of migrant workers' rights, and to a combination of source protection and social protection.The thesis includes 7 parts.The first part gives an introduction. The theoretical and practical significance of the thesis is elaborated and a frame of the research is given. Some key concepts are explained in this part. The end of this part gives an explanation of the research method.The second part gives an illustration to the historical process of Yi Wu labor union's protection of migrant workers' rights.The third part introduces the building and practices of Yi Wu labor union's system of migrant workers' rights protection. Yi Wu labor union's system of migrant workers' rights protection is illustrated and the operation of the system is investigated.The fourth part concentrates on the social influence of Yi Wu labor union's protection system of migrant workers' rights. A questionnaire was carried out to investigate and analyze the influence, and its effect is evaluated.The fifth part tells the social foundation of labor union's protection of migrant workers' rights. The actions adopted by labor union are supported by the laws and policies, especially the New Labor Union's Law. The characteristics of labor union, traditional cultural concept and social development determine the reasonability of labor union's protection of migrant workers' rights. The social foundation of labor union's protection of migrant workers' rights originates from the basic character of labor union. From an official organization to an unofficial organization should be the orientation of labor union development.The sixth part focuses on the difficulties that labor union confronts in migrant workers' rights protection. The investigation reveals that the barrier of the government comes from the conflict between government's pursuit of efficiency and union's pursuit of legality. Due to incomplete legal rule and legislation, it is difficult for labor union to better protect the rights. The mobility of migrant workers, their education and unitary job pursuit also bring many difficulties to migrant workers' rights protection.The last part is a discussion and consideration part. Protecting migrant workers' rights is an extension of labor union's function. Regularization is an important way to practice effective rights protection.