China has seen a rising number of "mass incidents" triggered by
labor disputes in the past 12 years, according to a senior official
with the national legislature.
Yang Jingyu, chairman of the Law Committee of the National
People's Congress (NPC), did not give any figures or examples when
addressing an audio conference on Monday; however, he said the
number of labor disputes, mainly concerning unpaid wages, increased
13.5 times between 1995 and 2006.
"With accelerating industrialization and urbanization in China,
infringements on employees' rights are occurring more frequently,
especially in certain regions and industries," Yang said, pointing
the figure at private businesses, restructured state-owned
enterprises, and construction companies.
"They have seriously undermined a harmonious and stable
relationship between employers and employees," he added.
According to Yang, no more than 20 percent of the small and
medium sized companies sign labor contracts with employees in a bid
to cut costs or evade the payment of social insurance premiums.
More than 60 percent of employers in China only sign short-term
contracts that last no more than one year, after which time they
may simply dismiss employees upon completion of probation, he
explained.
"These problems have made it very difficult for the employees to
protect their lawful rights," Yang said. In addition, some local
governments have chosen to sacrifice the interests of employees in
pursuit of economic gain.
China aims to put 90 percent of its workforce under the
protection of formal labor contracts by the end of 2007, according
to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. The nation would
improve management of labor contracts and promote legislation and
implementation of collective labor contracts to fully protect
workers' rights.
China's top legislature adopted the labor contract law last
month, which will regulate employers' use of laborers and help
employees protect their legal rights.
According to the law, which will come into effect on Jan. 1,
2008, officials will face administrative penalties or criminal
prosecution for abusing authority or neglecting responsibilities,
leading to serious harm to the interests of workers.
(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2007)