Superpower China - Cheap and Cheerful? A presentation by Bianca and Franziska

Structure 1. Dongguan 2. Chinas economy 3. Labour Law – Reality in China 4. Working conditions in China 5. The opportunities to fight 6. Social Security System

1. Dongguan

Streets are relatively deserted Only trucks rattle along and keep supplies In the plants employees are working every day, morning and night Siemens, Nokia, Duracell, Sanyo etc. have set up shop there produce cables, batteries, computer, cellphones, toys, shoes and clothing for different countries

2. Chinas economy China uses a quarter of the worlds cement and steel and a third of the worlds coal Worlds second-largest consumer of oil Per capita income: well above $ 1,000 Companies are investing in China World chlothing market Export surplus could break $ 100 billion in 2005

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3. Labor Law – Reality in China Labor LawReality in China Working hours: 40 per week, eight hours a day Working hours: 57 per week, 9,5 hours a day The legal minimum wage is 570 yuan Wickman electronics company pays 390 yuan Seven days off, three times a year Instead of all days only three days of each week are paid Pregnant women can not be fired A pregnant women get fired because her husband had demanded a raise

4. Working conditions in China out of court settlements Most of the workers are women Work nine and a half hours a day, six days a week get roughly 48-68Euros a month minimum working age is 16 workers are often migrants Pregnant women do heavy lifting, work on the day of delivery Workers are not protected Workers get sick and poisoned Industrial accidents are treated as state secrets in China

5. The opportunities to fight

selfconfidence of chinese workers is growing „complaint room“ strikes are not allowed Illegal ‘‘meetings, demonstrations and protest‘‘  prison terms of seven and four years ‘‘disrupting the social order‘‘  ‘‘reeducation through work‘‘ Workers are also drilled with questionaries For answering ‘‘the right way‘‘  100 yuan bonus ‘‘wrong answer‘‘  can cost them their job

6. Social Security System many old people in China  134 million people over the age of  25% of it‘s inhabitants nobody to pay into their pension funds One-child family policy only support is the family ‘‘China will grow old before it grown rich!“

Thank‘s for listening! Time for questions!