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10 January, 2001
The relationship with China's official "trade union" has been a subject for long and sometimes hard and emotional debate among IMF affiliates, but also in other international organisations as well as national trade unions. And rightly so.
China is potentially one of the largest markets in the world and is attractive for business of all kinds. This represents an opportunity which, if well used, can create jobs and welfare in China, and in the rest of the world as well.
Especially for metalworkers, it is extremely important that we follow closely what is happening in the Chinese economy and also take all opportunities to influence the working conditions of the Chinese workers.
We estimate that there are almost 1 million Chinese employed in American, Japanese and West European transnational companies operating in China today. Many of our affiliates have direct, bilateral contacts with the workers at company level.
A few months ago, we went to China on an official visit. A report from this mission was presented to the IMF Executive Committee, which decided, after an intensive and sometimes tough discussion, to have an exchange of information with the Chinese trade union.
During the visit we gave the All China Federation of Trade Unions a list of imprisoned trade union leaders who, we believe, have been detained unjustly because of their trade union activities. The IMF has asked the top officials of the Chinese trade union to follow up on the promise they made to us to do everything possible to get the imprisoned trade unionists released.
I do not have any illusions about this. I know that the government considers any trade union activity which is out of the control of the ACFTU as an offence to the law, and it will continue to do so.
The latest news from China is not encouraging; on the contrary, it is very disturbing. In the county of Funing, near China's east coast, workers in several workplaces - textile factories, a brewery and a fertiliser plant - have attempted in vain to apply to form their own independent unions. At one silk factory, the 1,800 workers have been on strike since mid-November because of the authorities' refusal to permit the workers to form an independent union. The workers fear a crackdown by the government.
And what is the ACFTU doing?
This is the question to which we would like to have an answer, because it is on this that depends what kind of relationship free trade unions in the West can have with them.
China has accepted that the core labour standards in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work are the basic principles upon which national labour laws must be built. Although China has not ratified ILO Convention No. 87 on freedom of association or No. 98 on collective bargaining and is only considering ratifying the Conventions on child labour and forced labour, the government has accepted these principles.
Furthermore, China is entering the World Trade Organisation as a full member. This also implies the moral obligation to respect universal human values and trade union standards.
The IMF is expecting that the two metalworkers' federations in the ACFTU do everything possible to put pressure on the leadership of the ACFTU as well as the government to apply all these principles.
China is potentially one of the largest markets in the world and is attractive for business of all kinds. This represents an opportunity which, if well used, can create jobs and welfare in China, and in the rest of the world as well.
Especially for metalworkers, it is extremely important that we follow closely what is happening in the Chinese economy and also take all opportunities to influence the working conditions of the Chinese workers.
We estimate that there are almost 1 million Chinese employed in American, Japanese and West European transnational companies operating in China today. Many of our affiliates have direct, bilateral contacts with the workers at company level.
A few months ago, we went to China on an official visit. A report from this mission was presented to the IMF Executive Committee, which decided, after an intensive and sometimes tough discussion, to have an exchange of information with the Chinese trade union.
During the visit we gave the All China Federation of Trade Unions a list of imprisoned trade union leaders who, we believe, have been detained unjustly because of their trade union activities. The IMF has asked the top officials of the Chinese trade union to follow up on the promise they made to us to do everything possible to get the imprisoned trade unionists released.
I do not have any illusions about this. I know that the government considers any trade union activity which is out of the control of the ACFTU as an offence to the law, and it will continue to do so.
The latest news from China is not encouraging; on the contrary, it is very disturbing. In the county of Funing, near China's east coast, workers in several workplaces - textile factories, a brewery and a fertiliser plant - have attempted in vain to apply to form their own independent unions. At one silk factory, the 1,800 workers have been on strike since mid-November because of the authorities' refusal to permit the workers to form an independent union. The workers fear a crackdown by the government.
And what is the ACFTU doing?
This is the question to which we would like to have an answer, because it is on this that depends what kind of relationship free trade unions in the West can have with them.
China has accepted that the core labour standards in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work are the basic principles upon which national labour laws must be built. Although China has not ratified ILO Convention No. 87 on freedom of association or No. 98 on collective bargaining and is only considering ratifying the Conventions on child labour and forced labour, the government has accepted these principles.
Furthermore, China is entering the World Trade Organisation as a full member. This also implies the moral obligation to respect universal human values and trade union standards.
The IMF is expecting that the two metalworkers' federations in the ACFTU do everything possible to put pressure on the leadership of the ACFTU as well as the government to apply all these principles.