工人再次放下生產工具 東莞鞋廠再傳罷工
Thousands of workers have downed tools at the shoemaking factory that last year suffered one of the biggest strikes in China’s modern history, as labour relations grow increasingly fractious amid the slowing economy.
Millions of migrant women — and men — provided the muscle behind China’s export-driven economic rise. But protests are rising as the balance of power slowly shifts from employers to workers because of demographic and technological trends.
數以百萬計的男女農民工曾經充當中國出口導向型經濟增長背後的“肌肉”。但由於人口結構和技術上的發展趨勢，力量平衡慢慢地由僱主向工人傾斜，抗議活動正在增加。Workers and labour rights groups said at least 3,000 went on strike at Yue Yuen Industrial, a Taiwanese shoe manufacturer for the likes of Nike and Adidas, after management announced plans to merge two production operations.
工人和勞工權益組織表示，在爲耐克(Nike)和阿迪達斯(Adidas)等品牌代工的臺資製鞋企業裕元工業(Yue Yuen Industrial)，至少有3000名工人發起罷工。此前，管理層宣佈了合併兩塊生產業務的計劃。
Last year tens of thousands of workers at Yue Yuen’s facilities in Dongguan, a manufacturing centre in southern Guangdong province, took to the streets after alleging their employer had not been making pension payments. The industrial action ended after Yue Yuen agreed to make back payments.
去年，裕元位於廣東省製造業重鎮東莞的工廠有數萬工人走上街頭，這些工人聲稱，廠方未能足額繳付社保。這場勞工行動在裕元同意補繳社保費後結束。“With the transformation of manufacturing, a lot of problems affecting workers’ social security and other benefits have accumulated,” said Pang Kun, a labour lawyer. “There will be more strikes such as this.”
“隨着製造業逐漸轉型，有很多影響工人社保和其他福利的問題日積月累，”勞工律師龐坤錶示，“像這樣的罷工還會發生。”In a notice obtained by China Labor Watch, a New York-based group, Yue Yuen said the merger of the two plants would affect only clerical and logistics staff, and not assembly-line personnel.
總部位於紐約的“中國勞工觀察”(China Labor Watch)獲得的一份通知顯示，裕元表示，兩家工廠的合併將隻影響文祕和後勤人員，不會影響組裝線上的工人。The workers, however, fear it could be a prelude to lay-offs if the company relocates operations to cheaper locations in China or to other countries in Asia.
但工人們擔心，這可能是裁員的一個前奏——如果公司把業務遷往中國或亞洲其他國家勞動力成本更低的地方。They demanded the immediate release of money they have accrued under a “housing fund” — allowances required under Chinese law, which can range from 5 per cent to 20 per cent of workers’ monthly incomes.
他們要求立即發放他們積累的“住房公積金”，這是中國法律規定由僱主及其在職職工繳存的長期住房儲金，僱主繳納的金額相當於工人月收入的5%至20%。Dongguan recently moved to restrict the circumstances under which workers may draw down their housing funds, sparking a strike at another factory in the area last week.
最近東莞出臺新政策，對工人能夠提取住房公積金的情況作出了限制，此舉上週在當地另一家工廠引發罷工。“We are at the factory today but nobody is doing any work,” said one Yue Yuen employee, who asked not to be identified. “Our main request is to be able to withdraw our housing fund freely. If the merger goes ahead, then we also want severance.”
“我們今天在廠裏上班，但沒有人幹活。”一位要求匿名的裕元僱員表示，“我們的主要訴求是能夠自由提取我們的住房公積金。如果合併變成現實，那麼我們還想拿到遣散費。”Jerry Shum, head of investor relations for Yue Yuen, said the strike involved less than 5 per cent of the company’s China workforce and would not have a material impact on its operations.
裕元的投資者關係總監岑立(Jerry Shum)表示，此次罷工涉及該公司不到5%的中國員工，不會對公司經營產生實質性影響。Late last year, similar concerns sparked a wave of school strikes in northeastern Heilongjiang province involving as many as 20,000 teachers.
去年晚些時候，類似的擔憂在中國東北的黑龍江省引發了一連串教師罷工，涉及多達兩萬名教師。Additional reporting by Wan Li
萬麗補充報道
