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Failures of enterprise‐level unionization in China: Implications for coalmine safety and beyond
Author(s) -
LIU Chaojie
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international labour review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.433
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1564-913X
pISSN - 0020-7780
DOI - 10.1111/j.1564-913x.2011.00110.x
Subject(s) - trade union , legislature , china , statutory law , independence (probability theory) , business , labour economics , public relations , economics , political science , law , international trade , statistics , mathematics
. In recent years, China's frequent coalmining accidents have highlighted legislative defects that disable enterprise unions from exercising their statutory functions effectively in regard to occupational safety. The causes of this dysfunction have much wider implications, however. Reviewing the country's Trade Union Law, the author argues for amendments to empower workers to set up genuine enterprise‐level unions – by clarifying the procedures for doing so, excluding senior corporate executives from union membership and leadership, securing unions' financial independence from enterprise management, providing safeguards for the election of trade union leaders and their removal from office, and recognizing the right to strike.