China has for many years been the ‘factory’ of the world due to its low wage and high output production formula. A recent report into the toy manufacturing industry is the latest of a line of reports exposing the human toll of the Chinese economic miracle. The report found an industry based on casualised workers, often working over 12 hours a day in unsafe workplaces payed as little as US $1.00/h. It is no surprise that industrial action by Chinese workers has been steadily increasing. In conjunction with a slowing economy and increasing job losses, last month saw another increase in the number of recorded strikes by workers in China.
China has for many years been the ‘factory’ of the world due to its low wage and high output production formula. A recent report into the toy manufacturing industry is the latest of a line of reports exposing the human toll of the Chinese economic miracle. The report found an industry based on casualised workers, often working over 12 hours a day in unsafe workplaces payed as little as US $1.00/h. It is no surprise that industrial action by Chinese workers has been steadily increasing. In conjunction with a slowing economy and increasing job losses, last month saw another increase in the number of recorded strikes by workers in China.
