McDonald's and KFC, both of which have been heavily criticized
recently for underpaying their part-time workers in Guangdong, are to set up trade union branches
across the province.
Speaking yesterday, Kong Xianghong, vice-chairman of the
Guangdong Provincial Trade Union Federation, said: "McDonald's has
set up a preparatory committee, comprising representatives of both
employees and management, to help set up the union, and it is hoped
the branches will open in May.
"Also, Yum! Brands Inc (the operator of KFC)'s Guangdong branch
has approached the local trade union federation for guidance on
setting up trade unions."
Kong said that an inter-regional committee of trade unions might
be established for both McDonald's and KFC.
"Many of their city outlets employ only about 20 people, and
some smaller cities have only one outlet," he said. "This means it
is not feasible for them to set up a trade union branch for each
outlet or in every city."
Also, the fact that the McDonald's outlets in the province are
owned by two different companies is another reason to set up an
inter-regional trade union committee, Kong said.
"This inter-regional committee of trade unions for
foreign-funded enterprises will be the first of its kind in the
province, and probably the country," he said.
Kong said that the recent controversy over underpaying by the
fast-food giants was not the reason for their move.
"The federation has been promoting the trade union organization
to foreign-funded enterprises across the province since early last
year and several have since set them up," Kong said.
He said that all of the province's 325 foreign-funded companies
would be obliged to establish union branches by the end of the
year.
Peng Peng, director of the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences,
said that setting up trade unions would help the fast-food giants
improve their images and labor-management relations.
"Trade unions, while protecting workers' rights and interests,
can definitely improve labor-management relations," Peng said.
(China Daily April 20, 2007)