Workers at Italian-invested furniture factory DeCoro in Shenzhen who were beaten by their Italian supervisors over pay cut disputes revealed that the company had violated China's labour law in many aspects.
Liang Tian, one of the workers beaten by the Italian supervisors, told China Labour Bulletin that workers at the DeCoro factory had no day offs on Saturdays and Sundays. If they wanted to have day offs on Sundays, they would have to finish their Sunday work quotas on Saturdays. Their monthly salary was 2,000 to 3,000 yuan (about US$250 to 375), relatively high compared with other workers in Shenzhen, but they did not have pension, medical insurance and work injury insurance. The company's practice has in fact violated China's Labour Law. According to Article 36 of PRC's Labour Law, the government institutes "a working hour system by which every worker shall not work more than eight hours a day and the average working hours per week shall not exceed 44 hours." Article 73 of the Labour Law also stipulated that "workers shall enjoy social insurance treatment according to law...including retirement, falling ill or suffering job injuries..."
Liang said he had worked in the factory's cloth wrapping work unit for three years. He had to spray glue on the shaped sponge and wrap a piece of cloth on it. Despite that he had to work in the environment with strong smell of the glue, he was only given three face-masks each month. He had never been given any medical check-up. He began to feel sick about six months ago. The worker also told CLB that there was a lot of dust in the process of cutting and shaping the sponges, but the workers in the sponge cutting work unit were also only given three face-masks each month and they had never been given any medical examination. The company has in fact violated Article 54 of PRC's Labour Law which says: "An employer shall provide the worker with labour safety and health conditions and necessary labour protection articles conforming to the stipulations by the State and give regular body check-ups to workers engaging in hazardous jobs."
On 28 October, ten workers of the factory went to ask the factory management why their wages in September were cut by 20 per cent. Their action was not successful and their working passes were confiscated and they were not allowed to enter the factory. Two days later, the workers staged a sit-in outside the factory entrance and demanded an explanation from the factory management. They wanted the company to give them formal letters of dismissal if the company wanted to fire them, or the company should allow them to go back to work in the factory.
On 31 October, when the workers went to the management committee of Shenzhen Grand Industrial Zone, established by the Shenzhen municipal government, they were told that they could go back to work in the factory. But when they returned to the factory, some of the workers were beaten by five Italian supervisors. (For further details, see: Workers at Italian-invested sofa factory in Shenzhen went on strike as three allegedly beaten by Italian supervisors) More than 3,000 workers from the factory launched a strike on 1 November and they marched to the highway in the direction towards the management committee of the Shenzhen Grand Industrial Zone. Their actions paralyzed the traffic on the highway between Shenzhen and Huizhou for more than half an hour.
Another worker beaten by the Italian supervisors told CLB that on 2 November the management committee of the Shenzhen Grand Industrial Zone invited other seven workers who were not beaten by the Italian supervisors for a meal. Officials from the management committee persuaded the workers to end their labour relations with the factory.
The management committee of the Shenzhen Grand Industrial Zone told CLB that there was no trade union in the industrial zone and the human resources supervisor of the management committee was responsible for handling labour affairs.
Savino Pezzotta, General Secretary of CISL, the Italian trade Union confederation with more than 4.2 million members, in a press release on 4 November expressed his full support and solidarity, as well as that of the entire organization, with the Chinese workers of the Italian DeCoro company working in Shenzhen who have been unfairly dismissed and beaten by company personnel. "We want to make sure that the Chinese workers receive our full solidarity and cooperation," said the General Secretary of CISL.
CISL has immediately sent a letter to the Italian Government to ask for the implementation of the OECD Guidelines on Multinationals, thus asking the Italian Government to call on the company to immediately restore the full respect of fundamental workers rights, as defined by the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles at Work and by the OECD Guidelines on Multinationals. CISL also calls on the government to make public financial support to companies conditional upon their international adherence to and respect for ILO Core Labour standards and the OECD Guidelines.
CISL is also requesting the company to allow a delegation from CISL to enter the company and to talk freely and without any constraint with the Chinese workers.
9 November 2005
China Labour Bulletin
Liang Tian, one of the workers beaten by the Italian supervisors, told China Labour Bulletin that workers at the DeCoro factory had no day offs on Saturdays and Sundays. If they wanted to have day offs on Sundays, they would have to finish their Sunday work quotas on Saturdays. Their monthly salary was 2,000 to 3,000 yuan (about US$250 to 375), relatively high compared with other workers in Shenzhen, but they did not have pension, medical insurance and work injury insurance. The company's practice has in fact violated China's Labour Law. According to Article 36 of PRC's Labour Law, the government institutes "a working hour system by which every worker shall not work more than eight hours a day and the average working hours per week shall not exceed 44 hours." Article 73 of the Labour Law also stipulated that "workers shall enjoy social insurance treatment according to law...including retirement, falling ill or suffering job injuries..."
Liang said he had worked in the factory's cloth wrapping work unit for three years. He had to spray glue on the shaped sponge and wrap a piece of cloth on it. Despite that he had to work in the environment with strong smell of the glue, he was only given three face-masks each month. He had never been given any medical check-up. He began to feel sick about six months ago. The worker also told CLB that there was a lot of dust in the process of cutting and shaping the sponges, but the workers in the sponge cutting work unit were also only given three face-masks each month and they had never been given any medical examination. The company has in fact violated Article 54 of PRC's Labour Law which says: "An employer shall provide the worker with labour safety and health conditions and necessary labour protection articles conforming to the stipulations by the State and give regular body check-ups to workers engaging in hazardous jobs."
On 28 October, ten workers of the factory went to ask the factory management why their wages in September were cut by 20 per cent. Their action was not successful and their working passes were confiscated and they were not allowed to enter the factory. Two days later, the workers staged a sit-in outside the factory entrance and demanded an explanation from the factory management. They wanted the company to give them formal letters of dismissal if the company wanted to fire them, or the company should allow them to go back to work in the factory.
On 31 October, when the workers went to the management committee of Shenzhen Grand Industrial Zone, established by the Shenzhen municipal government, they were told that they could go back to work in the factory. But when they returned to the factory, some of the workers were beaten by five Italian supervisors. (For further details, see: Workers at Italian-invested sofa factory in Shenzhen went on strike as three allegedly beaten by Italian supervisors) More than 3,000 workers from the factory launched a strike on 1 November and they marched to the highway in the direction towards the management committee of the Shenzhen Grand Industrial Zone. Their actions paralyzed the traffic on the highway between Shenzhen and Huizhou for more than half an hour.
Another worker beaten by the Italian supervisors told CLB that on 2 November the management committee of the Shenzhen Grand Industrial Zone invited other seven workers who were not beaten by the Italian supervisors for a meal. Officials from the management committee persuaded the workers to end their labour relations with the factory.
The management committee of the Shenzhen Grand Industrial Zone told CLB that there was no trade union in the industrial zone and the human resources supervisor of the management committee was responsible for handling labour affairs.
Savino Pezzotta, General Secretary of CISL, the Italian trade Union confederation with more than 4.2 million members, in a press release on 4 November expressed his full support and solidarity, as well as that of the entire organization, with the Chinese workers of the Italian DeCoro company working in Shenzhen who have been unfairly dismissed and beaten by company personnel. "We want to make sure that the Chinese workers receive our full solidarity and cooperation," said the General Secretary of CISL.
CISL has immediately sent a letter to the Italian Government to ask for the implementation of the OECD Guidelines on Multinationals, thus asking the Italian Government to call on the company to immediately restore the full respect of fundamental workers rights, as defined by the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles at Work and by the OECD Guidelines on Multinationals. CISL also calls on the government to make public financial support to companies conditional upon their international adherence to and respect for ILO Core Labour standards and the OECD Guidelines.
CISL is also requesting the company to allow a delegation from CISL to enter the company and to talk freely and without any constraint with the Chinese workers.
9 November 2005
China Labour Bulletin
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