中國180萬煤炭和鋼鐵工人面臨下崗大綱

Almost 2m Chinese coal and steel workers will lose their jobs because of government policies to cut overcapacity, according to the minister of human resources, highlighting looming woes for China’s workforce.

中國人力資源和社會保障部部長尹蔚民稱，近200萬中國煤炭和鋼鐵工人將因爲削減過剩產能的政府政策而失去工作崗位，此言突顯中國勞動者面臨潛在困境。

As fears grow over the true extent of the country’s economic slowdown, laid-off workers in traditionally stable sectors are being forced to compete for jobs with about 15m people entering the labour force each year — threatening mass unemployment, strikes and social unrest.

在各方加劇擔心中國經濟放緩的真實程度之際，傳統上穩定行業的下崗工人正被迫與每年加入勞動力大軍的大約1500萬人競爭工作崗位，這有可能釀成大規模失業、罷工和社會不安定。

Speaking to the media yesterday, Yin Weimin said 1.3m coal workers and 500,000 steel workers could expect to lose their jobs. The majority are likely to be in state-owned enterprises.

尹蔚民昨日在對媒體發表講話時表示，130萬煤炭工人和50萬鋼鐵工人可能失去工作。多數可能是國有企業職工。

The minister said the government would put in place “adequate measures” to limit labour market disruption. These included a Rmb100bn ($15bn) fund to help resettle laid-off workers; more flexible retirement procedures within companies; retraining for workers; and encouraging companies to resettle workers internally.

這位部長表示，政府將“多措並舉”降低勞動力市場的擾亂。這些措施包括拿出1000億元人民幣（合150億美元）幫助安置下崗職工；實行企業內部更爲靈活的退休程序；再培訓工人；以及鼓勵企業在內部安置職工。

Last year China’s steel industry, which accounts for more than half of global production, reduced output for the first time since 1981. The government has set a target of cutting 150m tonnes of production in the five-year plan to 2020.

佔全球總產量一半以上的中國鋼鐵業，去年自1981年以來首次降低產量。政府已在截至2020年的五年規劃中制定了削減1.5億噸產量的目標。

Wang Guoqing, director of research at Lange Steel Information Research Centre in Beijing, estimated that one in 10 steel workers faced being laid off. She added that solid statistics were hard to come by after the government stopped reporting steel employment figures at the end of 2013.

北京蘭格鋼鐵信息研究中心主任王國慶估計，10個鋼鐵工人中有一個面臨下崗。王國慶補充說，政府在2013年底停止報告鋼鐵業就業數字後，可靠的統計數據不容易獲得。

Last month China International Capital Corporation, an investment bank, estimated that three in 10 jobs would be lost across all overcapacity sectors — roughly 3m in total. These sectors included cement, glass and shipbuilding, as well as steel and coal.

投行中金公司(CICC) 1月估計，所有產能過剩行業中，三成的工作崗位將保不住，總計大約300萬。這些行業包括水泥、玻璃、造船，以及鋼鐵和煤炭。

The problem of job cuts was also raised by officials at the China Iron and Steel Association’s national council meeting last month. Li Xinchuang, head of the China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, told China Economic Weekly last month that steel capacity cuts would mean 400,000-500,000 displaced workers.

在1月舉行的中國鋼鐵工業協會理事會會議上，官員們也提出了裁員的問題。中國冶金工業規劃研究院院長李新創2月對《中國經濟週刊》表示，削減鋼鐵產能將意味着40萬至50萬下崗工人。

At the same time as sustaining heavy job losses, Mr Yin said the Chinese economy would see an influx of 15m young people entering the job market this year, an increase from previous years.

尹蔚民表示，在承受嚴重裁員的同時，今年中國經濟將看到1500萬年輕人涌入就業市場，比往年有所增加。

Growing strains in China’s workforce have already led to an increase in strikes and “workplace incidents”, according to the China Labour Bulletin, a Hong Kong-based labour rights group, which recorded 503 incidents in January, almost double the 272 in the same month last year.

根據總部位於香港的勞工權益團體“中國勞工通訊”(China Labour Bulletin)，中國的勞動力大軍所受的壓力越來越大，已導致罷工和“工作場所事件”增加；1月份中國各地發生503起這樣的事件，幾乎是去年同期272起的兩倍。

“It is a social issue,” said Ms Wang. “It will affect people’s sense of security. Our country is a socialist country; it must secure the livelihoods of its workers.”

“這是一個社會問題，”蘭格鋼鐵信息研究中心的王國慶表示。“它會影響人們的安全感。我國是一個社會主義國家；國家必須保障勞動者的生計。”

One Shanghai manager, when asked whether local migrant workers were worried about employment instability, said: “Mostly they just worry about making it until the next Spring Festival.”

在被問及當地的農民工是否擔心就業不穩定時，上海一名經理表示：“多數情況下他們只是爲做到下一個春節操心。”