Study On Labor Rights Protection Of Local Employees Of Chinese Companies In Africa

As the scale of Chinese companies investing in African countries continuously expands, it’s no coincidence that incidences regarding labor rights and their protection among Chinese companies are getting more into the limelight. As can be expected, views on the status of labor rights among stakeholders is variable and there is need for more empirical studies to substantiate the varied position. Zimbabwe is one of the African countries which has significant Chinese investments. This thesis uses both secondary data and field research to document international and Zimbabwean labor rights protection standards and in doing so establish the status and problems on labor rights protection amongst a sample of Chinese companies operating in the country.Comparing with international labor rights protection standards, this research establishes that most Chinese companies are willing to take positive steps to protect labor rights through respecting laws of the host country and engaging in collective bargaining agreements. However most Chinese companies just meet the basic standards of local laws, comparing with some western transnational enterprises and mature local companies. Among particular areas where more work is needed include the working environment, employee training and media relations. Lots of reasons lead to these problems among them the legal system of the host country including enforcement mechanisms which have some gaps which results in some companies, including Chinese, appearing to willfully neglecting local laws and labor rights protection legislation.This thesis suggests that multi-dimensional measures must be taken to address these problems. The government could give companies more norms and guidance at micro level that could help Chinese companies improve their compliance with local laws and their overall image. Chinese companies could communicate better and integrate more in the communities they operate and in so doing improve their ability of solving any problems that could arise. There is room for improvement in the style of management amongst Chinese companies. As they increasingly adapt to internationalization development, Chinese companies should learn more from other transnational enterprises on good practices regarding labor rights protection.