Refusing to Honor Labor Rights Backfires on China
Just before the Chinese New Year in February, the Stella Xing Ang shoe factory in Dongguan, China, became a casualty of the country’s economic slowdown. Declining orders and higher production costs meant that after 13 years of producing shoes for major international brands, the business would close, and 2,000 employees would lose their jobs.
Given the rise in worker activism and labor unrest in China over the last several years, one might have expected the Stella workers to strike or to stage a mass protest in January when the company announced the factory closure. But nothing happened: Most workers seemed happy with the layoff deal offered by management and left their jobs without a fuss.… Seguir leyendo »