78 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
78 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
The **Chinese Honda Strike of 2010** refers to [three
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strikes](List_of_Strikes "wikilink") in [China](China "wikilink") that
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happened in [May and June of
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2010by](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism_in_Eastern_Asia "wikilink")
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car factory workers. It was part of a [broader global wave of
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unrest](Revolutions_of_2008_-_2014 "wikilink"), but [especially in
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China](Chinese_Protest_Wave_\(2007_-_2014\) "wikilink").
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## Background
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In 2009, China became the world's fastest growing automobile market. One
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corporation that contributed to the market's remarkable growth was Honda
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Motor Corporation. Honda, a [Japanese](Japan "wikilink") corporation
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that first entered China in 1999, had four car plants in China. In 2010,
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sweeping labor unrest spread throughout China and workers at Honda's
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four car plants seized the opportunity to seek out higher pay and better
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working conditions.
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## Events
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On the 17th of May, 1,900 workers from a transmission factory in Foshan,
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China went on strike. Every single worker at the factory joined the
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strike, demanding higher wages and better working conditions. Though the
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Chinese government had substantially raised the minimal wages for
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factory workers to $130 dollars per month, the workers felt that their
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wages were not fair. On average, Honda factory workers earned between
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$150 and $220 dollars per month, but the factory workers at Foshan
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wanted wages equal to those of assembly plant workers, who earned
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between $300 and $370 dollars per month. Workers also complained of
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having to wake up at unreasonable times to attend work and having to
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work in hot facilities with poor air-conditioning. Ten days into the
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strike Honda halted production at all four car plants due to a shortage
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of transmissions. The result was a reduction in productivity of about
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300 vehicles per day. Consequently, on the 31st of May, Honda announced
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its decision to increase the minimum monthly salaries at that site to
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$280 dollars per month. The majority of the workers welcomed the 24%
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raise in wages, but forty workers remained on strike seeking additional
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raises and a physical confrontation allegedly occurred between some of
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the strikers and union officials sent in by the government. Production
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resumed on 2nd of June.
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Workers once again challenged Honda on the 9th of June, when 100 workers
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at a factory at Zhongshan walked out on strike. The factory, which
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specialized in the production of keys, locks, and other related parts,
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stopped production during the early morning. Two days later, reports
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suggest that 500 workers marched, picketed, and blocked roads outside of
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the factory before riot police arrived to disperse the crowd. Some of
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the workers had claimed that they wanted a legitimate union to represent
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them because the only unions allowed by the communist government were
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those formed by the communist government. On 14th of June, the Zhongshan
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strike promptly ended as replacement workers began their first days of
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work. Some 100 workers held a rally outside the site as new workers
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entered. Honda agreed to raise the salaries at the site by 11% to $152
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dollars per month.
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Honda workers orchestrated a final strike at a factory that specialized
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in the production of gear shift levers. The strike began on 12th of July
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and lasted until the 22nd of July. During the strike, overall production
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continued at a regular rate. Once again, Honda agreed to raise wages of
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the workers at the site, but details of the increase were not disclosed
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to the media. The conclusion of the strike officially marked the end of
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the workers' fairly successful campaign against Honda for improved
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wages. Each striking site received some variation of a wage increase,
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but the magnitudes of the wage increase varied from site to site.
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## Results
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The strikes were moderately successful. All striking sites were able to
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secure some variation of a raise in wages. There were workers, however,
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that were not satisfied with the concessions from Honda and wanted to
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continue protesting.
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## References
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[Global Nonviolent Action
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Database](Global_Nonviolent_Action_Database "wikilink") - [Chinese
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autoworkers strike to demand higher wages from
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Honda, 2010](https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/chinese-autoworkers-strike-demand-higher-wages-honda-2010) |