A Ministry of Labor and Social Security official was recently
quoted as saying that excessive overtime is rife in many
enterprises, a practice that infringes the labor law and
constitutes a serious abuse of workers' rights.
His remarks came soon after the death of a 25-year-old engineer
at Guangdong-based Huawei Technologies, allegedly as a result of
excessive overtime.
Working overtime is strictly limited by the labor law, which
stipulates that any overtime must be agreed by the trade union and
that the total overtime should be no more than three hours a day or
36 hours a month.
But neither stipulation is fully respected in reality, according
to the official.
Another report concerns Apple Computer Inc, which is reportedly
investigating "poor labor conditions" at Foxconn, a Taiwanese
factory that assembles Apple's iPod music player in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.
The Shenzhen company was accused of paying its workers a
pittance, housing them in crowded and heavily guarded dormitories
and forcing them to work overtime.
While these claims have yet to be verified, there have been many
previous reports regarding violations of workers' rights in this
southern region, with many of the factories involved being
contractors of famous international brands, such as Wal-Mart and
Nike.
These reports point to something rotten that we do not usually
link with those glamorous international trademarks.
Government regulators and trade unions should take more heed of
these reports. They must carry out their duty to protect the
interests of factory workers, as many of them find it difficult to
get their voices heard.
As a latecomer to the global market economy framework, China has
made unreserved efforts to catch up with developed countries. Its
economy is growing at a remarkable pace, resulting in a substantial
improvement in its people's living standards.
Meanwhile, many problems have been eclipsed by this ostensible
prosperity, including ignorance of labor rights at some
factories.
Those employers showing such a scant regard for workers' rights
must be punished in accordance with the law, no matter what
stealthy tactics they adopt to evade their responsibilities.
National and local regulators are in a position to take more
active and effective measures in this regard.
Failure to find a solution to these problems will tarnish our
fast-paced economic growth.
(China Daily June 20, 2006)