The scandal involving US fast-food giants McDonald's and KFC for
alleged underpaying part-time employees should serve as a reminder
of the need to strengthen enforcement of China's labor
regulations.
The labor bureau in south China's Guangdong Province has reportedly begun its
probe into the case, in which McDonald's and Yum Brands Inc, which
operates KFC and Pizza Hut, are accused of paying part-timers less
than the Guangzhou minimum wage of 7.5 yuan (US$0.97) per hour.
The cases make clear the necessity of increasing protection
under our existing labor laws.
For a long time, labor controversies concerning underpaid
workers have cropped up in both foreign and domestic enterprises.
They include world-renowned firms as well as obscure local
companies. The number of victims is believed to be large.
According to a survey by the Guangdong labor bureau and a local
university last year, the issue of underpaid
farmers-turned-city-workers has become a serious problem.
The 600 enterprises surveyed included foreign, Macao- and Hong
Kong-financed and domestic enterprises.
In Beijing, a survey of housekeepers last year by
non-governmental organizations found about half of those surveyed
were paid less than the local minimum wage.
In Shanghai, local regulators uncovered 907 cases involving
28,000 underpaid workers in the January-August period of 2006.
These cases occurred in big cities, where implementation of
labor laws is much stricter than elsewhere. It would be no surprise
if labor laws were even more commonly disregarded outside major
cities.
McDonald's and KFC were singled out, admittedly, not only
because they allegedly violated labor laws but because they are
major fast-food brands. They are high-profile targets for those
interested in protecting labor rights.
The equally important question is, how many other companies are
violating labor laws?
This is the larger issue raised as labor officials investigate
the McDonald's and KFC scandals.
(China Daily April 9, 2007)