China's 'post '80s' workers stand up for their rights

This report taken from TODAY ( Jun 23, 2010 ) illustrates the evolving trend of the present economies, no matter what political system the country belongs to.

Even in Communist China, the more educated 'post 80s' labour force is posing a new challenge to both the top management of the FIRM and COUNTRY...and the economy as a whole.

It suggests an evolving CHANGE, a drift away from the "capitalistic" approach in managing human resources.

This CHANGE is also in contrast to democratic Singapore.

Reference
TODAY ( Jun 23, 2010 )
by AP

BEIJING - Younger workers now make up the majority of China's migrant labour force - and they are quicker to speak up than older workers when they feel their rights are being violated. This is according to a report by the country's official trade union, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.

The report comes in the wake of recent high-profile strikes at plants run by foreign car makers including Toyota, and Honda. Although it did not mention the unrest, it did refer to worries about social instability.

The report said a study conducted in 10 cities from March to May showed young migrant workers between the ages of 16 and 30 now number about 100 million, making up nearly two-thirds of China's estimated 150 million migrant labourers, and nearly half of the country's 230 million workers overall.

The average younger migrant worker was aged 23, had finished middle school education, and 80 per cent were unmarried, it said.

It characterised the younger generation - known as the "post-'80s generation'' - as more willing to file complaints when their rights are violated and less fearful of retaliation compared to the older generation of workers.

Younger migrant workers are also "more aware of equality and rights", and have higher expectations of getting equal jobs, labour and social welfare, education, and other basic public services.

And it added that these workers show "a higher willingness" to defend their rights. According to the surveys taken by the national union, only 6.5 per cent of the younger workers said a fear of retaliation would prevent them from filing complaints compared to 13 per cent for their older counterparts.

Tactics and strategies for making complaints were also more sophisticated, the report said. Nearly half the younger migrant workers file joint complaints, while only 28 per cent of their older counterparts said they would.

The report added that the younger generation, who were more likely to have been raised in an urban setting, were less willing to endure hardship than traditional migrant workers.

And resolving the problems facing the new generation of migrant workers was important to avoid social unrest.

The report was posted on the federation's website on Monday and reported in the Chinese media yesterday.