AnarWiki/markdown/Shanghai_Truck_Drivers'_Strike_(2011).md

The **Shanghai Truck Drivers' Strike of 2011** was a
[strike](List_of_Strikes "wikilink") of truck drivers in Shanghai,
[China](China "wikilink") in [April
2011](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism_in_Eastern_Asia "wikilink"). It
was part of a [global wave of
unrest](Revolutions_of_2008_-_2014 "wikilink") that was [especially
notable in China](Chinese_Protest_Wave_\(2007_-_2014\) "wikilink"). It
was an episode

## Background

In 2011, Chinese Truckers in Shanghai became fed up with the increase in
prices and decrease in profits they were making as professional truck
drivers. Truckers were frustrated not only with the small fees and high
oil prices, but also with the system itself. The incomes of the Chinese
truck drivers were unable to keep up with the rising energy, food, and
housing prices in the Chinese economy. China’s consumer price index (the
main gauge of inflation) rose 5.4 percent in March, which was it’s
highest rise in 32 months. Even though Beijing promised to instill new
regulations and policies to fight inflation during 2011, truckers still
didn’t feel that they were being treated fairly or that they were able
survive in the 2011 economy. When the government raised the gasoline
prices yet again to keep up with global oil prices, truckers became
angrier than ever.

## Events

On the 20th of April, after organizing through the use of mobile phones
and text messaging, around 2,000 Shanghai truckers stopped their
vehicles on the roads in front of the ports and refused to move or pass.
They also threatened to smash the windows of other truckers or even harm
them if they tried to pass the blockades. The protest was planned to
last three days long, beginning on a Wednesday and ending on a Friday.
Two ports were blocked on Wednesday in the Eastern Pudong district of
Shanghai, and on Thursday about 40 trucks along with 2,000 drivers
gathered at a cargo handling center called Waigaoqiao in Baoshan.
Violence had occurred on Wednesday, including the throwing of rocks,
smashing of windows, and attempted overturning of a police car. Officers
and riot police were sent to the scene of the protest on Thursday to
prevent such violence from happening again, and before things escalated
too quickly any protesters that attempted violent acts were immediately
arrested. Truckers continued to protest into Friday, where about 500
drivers posted up at the Yanshan port. On the Monday following the
protests, authorities pledged to provide new relief in the government's
latest effort to deal with the issues of inflation. In order to
encourage protesters to go back to work, the government offered a
package of fee rollbacks related to moving containers and also promised
to eliminate charges that were deemed by officials to be “abusive”. The
government also dispatched a local official to the site of one of the
strikes and asked that protesters write down their grievances so that
the government could better intervene and help the people. Although few
drivers were happy with this result because it only saved them several
dollars a day when the numbers were broken down, there was a bit of
success to the campaign. One possible result of the government’s
decision to pay attention to the strikes, even if they only offered
limited concessions, was inspiration. The strikes and results could
prompt others in different industries to mimic the drivers' tactics in
order to gain recognition by higher powers.

Truckers were unhappy with the results not only because they made very
little difference in the actual money they were making, but also because
they did not live up to the protesters’ standards. Many protesters were
hoping for a similar outcome during a previous Taxi Driver strike in
Chongqing Central China that took place several years earlier. Officials
quickly offered concessions in that strike because they didn’t want
demonstrations to spread. Truck protesters complained that the Shanghai
government gave the Taxi drivers 36-70 dollars a month in fuel
subsidies, while they largely ignored the Truckers pleas for relief on
fuel prices. Many Truckers wanted to continue to strike after receiving
extremely poor offers from the government; however, as more and more
truckers were seen returning to their cabs throughout the day,
excitement fizzled out and most protesters went back to work. The strike
never extended beyond container handling terminals, and was a very small
threat to the city’s overall logistics system, as many other truckers
continued to work normally throughout China, and the money lost from the
blocked ports was minimal.

## Results

The strike was largely unsuccessful, with the exception of a few small
fee reductions.

## See Also

  - [Bonnots Rouges](Bonnots_Rouges "wikilink")

## Reference

[Global Nonviolent Action
Database](Global_Nonviolent_Action_Database "wikilink") - [Shanghai
truck drivers strike to lower trucking
fees, 2011](https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/shanghai-truck-drivers-strike-lower-trucking-fees-2011)