18 November, 2010Italian metalworker union FIM-CISL issues preliminary analysis of the working conditions at Italian transnational companies operating in Guangdong, China.
ITALY: Italian metalworker union FIM-CISL issued a preliminary report on the working conditions at Italian transnational companies operating in Guangdong, China.
The report available in English and Italian was produced as a result of joint work of FIM-CISL and ISCOS (The Trade Unions Institute for Development Co-operation) in cooperation with an independent Chinese institution (Ico), which conducted a survey of working and union conditions at ten transnational metalworking and mechanical-engineering firms operating in Guangdong under the control of Italian parent companies.
This year world mass media made a substantial coverage of scandalous situation about suicides at both Foxconn factories in Shenzhen and a wave of strikes at Honda in Foshan involving at least 70,000 Chinese workers in 73 companies in Guangdong outraged with their poor working conditions and low pay.
FIM-CISL decided to find out what working conditions are like at Italian giants operating in China such as Piaggio, ST Microelectronic, the Fiat Group's Magneti Marelli, subsidiaries of Cogne, De Longhi and different mid-size companies, like Bottero, Compel, Megadyne, Sacmi Ceramic Machinery, Somacis, Util Auto Parts, present in China which are not very well known in Italy itself, but have however an international profile.
According to the report after the strikes the provincial government proposed two bills, Provisions Concerning the Democratic Management of Guangdong's Businesses and Provisions Concerning Collective Bargaining. Unfortunately, reads the report, "none of these will be debated and approved in the near future due to the pressure exerted by transnational companies operating production facilities in this province of China".
The report comes to the conclusion valid not only for Italian but also other unions as well that "it is fundamental that each union pursue the action that it can and must take in regards to its nation's transnational companies that operate in China and that exploit a "regime" in which fundamental labour rights, such as the freedom to organize and collective bargaining, are suspended."
Summary of collected data is available in the overview of working conditions published in English and Italian languages. The union is preparing a larger detailed version of the report in the coming months.