Catherwood LibraryILR School

Labor relations in China is becoming more complex as foreign firms are reacting to demands for higher wages by closing facilities and employees are reacting in more aggressive ways for more significant severance packages. With Walmart in the spotlight, some Chinese union leaders are taking aggressive action which would have been unheard of just ten years ago such as state-union encouraged strikes, lawsuits, and protests to push corporations like Walmart into what the employees consider more fair actions. Workers in China can be frustrated by the lack of consultation before a plant or store closing and, especially during a time of rapid growth in the country, what can feel like paltry wages and severance packages. In the past the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), the only legal collective labor organization in China, had put the country?s interests before those of the workers, and often times this meant catering to corporations that were likely to invest more in the country in the future. The more aggressive actions have caught the attention of some European and American unions like the AFL-CIO who have issued strong statements of support.