63 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
63 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
The **Chinese Golf Factory Strike of 2014** or the '''Chinese Golf
|
||
Factory Workers Strike for Essential Rights '''was a
|
||
[strike](List_of_Strikes "wikilink") of [golf](golf "wikilink")
|
||
[factory](factory "wikilink") workers in Shenzhen, Southern
|
||
[China](China "wikilink") in
|
||
[2014](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism_in_Eastern_Asia "wikilink").
|
||
|
||
## Background
|
||
|
||
The **Chinese Golf Factory Workers Strike for Essential Rights** was a
|
||
strike that happened in Shenzhen, China. On July 21, 2014, approximately
|
||
300 Chinese workers at China Qilitian Golf Articles (QLT), in Shenzhen,
|
||
China, marched in a strike to obtain their essential rights as factory
|
||
workers. One of the prominent leaders of the strike was Qi Jianguang, a
|
||
26-year-old man who worked at the factory for eight years. During the
|
||
strike, the workers marched throughout a park in Shenzhen as they
|
||
carried banners, and also took photos on their devices that were later
|
||
posted on social media. They used social media in a beneficial way, to
|
||
promote their campaign, and to create worldwide awareness of this event.
|
||
|
||
## Background
|
||
|
||
The workers for QLT produce golf balls and golf clubs for Nike,
|
||
Callaway, Bridgestone, Ping, Cobra, and Titleist. The factory employed
|
||
over 2,000 workers at the time of the strike, yet was proven to be
|
||
disobeying the Chinese law for years. QLT failed to purchase five types
|
||
of insurance that were required by law. In addition, the company
|
||
deducted excessive tax on employees’ paychecks. Not only that, but China
|
||
Qilitian Golf Articles also neglected to make social security
|
||
contributions for its large number of employees, and deprived the
|
||
workers of their basic rights. Some of these basic rights included,
|
||
“payment for social insurance, funding for housing, high temperature
|
||
subsidies, living wages during low production season, and also factory
|
||
union elections,” (Global Nonviolent Action Database, Molly Murphy,
|
||
2015).
|
||
|
||
China Qilitian Golf Articles created another production line in
|
||
Jianguanxi, China, in order to obtain a greater amount of inexpensive
|
||
labour. Due to the creation of an additional location, the company began
|
||
to reduce orders and relocate assets from the Shenzhen factory. The
|
||
workers at the Shenzhen location were extremely worried that their
|
||
workplace would close in the near future, and therefore decided to go on
|
||
strike.
|
||
|
||
## Outcome
|
||
|
||
` The `
|
||
|
||
strike had an immensely negative impact on QLT, which in turn, led the
|
||
management team to negotiate with its employees. The strikers created a
|
||
list of demands that they were determined to have met, and the
|
||
organization approved the majority of the workers’ demands. The
|
||
management team of QLT arranged monthly meetings to be held with workers
|
||
who were democratically elected to the workers’ committee. The purpose
|
||
of these meetings was to resolve any further complications after the
|
||
strike, and to promote compromise amongst the management team and its
|
||
employees. Other factory workers across China were inspired by the
|
||
success of the nonviolent demonstrations, and many workers decided to
|
||
also protect their essential rights. As a result, there was a distinct
|
||
increase in the number of labour protests that occurred throughout
|
||
China.
|
||
|
||
## Results |