Underground Trade Unions - China

June 1998
Market reform and mass lay-offs across China are causing social havoc. We go underground to hear from China's growing dissident movement - complaining not about democracy but unemployment. Those who speak out about labour rights risk hefty jail terms, but a few have dared to speak to us. When the Communist party took power in 1949, it promised to look after the workers with a cradle-to-grave support system: the iron rice bowl. But the restructuring of China's state industries is causing unrest. Right now there are 12 million Chinese with empty rice bowls who are as angry as they are hungry. Dissident Xu Wen Li is one of a growing number of activists who believes the current labour unrest is a vehicle for bigger change. Jailed for 12 years for promoting democracy, he has now joined the call for the establishment of free unions. Unions fall under the umbrella of the Party's Propaganda Department. They encourage vocational training and dispense relief funds, but aren't there to protect workers' rights to protest.

Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• China
• Market
• Social
• reform
• prosperity
• Trade
• Rights
• Unions
• Journeyman
• Pictures
• news
• documentary
• current affairs
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• journeyman pictures

[danoinreno]

so you interview these guy's and no subtitles or

translation

how the heck am I to understand

that's lame

[Mike1977a1]

Yes this video is a little absurd, as unions dont really have much freedom in Britain either.

But i guess in china they wont allow a even few unions to exist because it would be embarasing to the communist party.

[yumenyukuaile]

希望有更多的职工代表和工会积极分子的参与，推动工运的发展。

Want to have more staff representatives and trade union activists involved in promoting the development of the labor movement

[yumenyukuaile]

做为（中国）工人，做为一个工会会员，做为一个工会组织的（再就­业）工作者，和各国工会组织的朋友，交流和讨论，我们共同的话题­。As the (Chinese) workers as a union member, as a union of (re-employed) workers, friends and national trade union organizations to share and discuss our common topic.

Search the conscience and responsibility that is the pursuit of a worker。 A manifestation of moral and self-cultivation.秉承良知与责任，这就是一个­工作者的追求，一个道德和修养的体现。

[yumenyukuaile]

I visit the websites and post comments with the assistance of machine translation. Thanks my friends for their understanding, support and help."

[porsche187]

so funny. You go through the trouble of traveling to another city to track down a man, darken his face, alter his voice-and them you fail to translate the first hand account. What a fucking waste!

[GameICY]

Be American Buy American and Support Unions !!

[nathaleafalcon]

Revolution!!!!! write this in every web sight you think necessary

[indulf]

It would be good to get proper unions and proper democracy in the UK and USA.