Labour Conditions and the Working Poor in China and India
Lead Research Organisation:
School of Oriental and African Studies
Department Name: Development Studies
Abstract
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Publications
A Latan
(2014)
"??????????????????-???S???????????????"[Analysis on Phenomenon of Employment Instability in China:Taking S City in Zhengjiang Province as an example]
in Journal of Chinese Human Development
A, L.T
(2014)
Xianjieduan woguo laodongli feiwending jiuye xianxiang de fenxi (in Chinese) (Transl: An Analysis of Contingent Employment in Contemporary China)
in Human Resource Development of China
Chang, D.O.
(2017)
Informal Exploitation and Unregulated Expansion: Assessing the Construction Labour Regime in Contemporary China
in Marxism 21
Chen, W
(2013)
Sociological Master Degree Papers from Three Universities
Lerche, J.
(2014)
Construction labour in India and China
Mezzadri A
(2016)
Class, gender and the sweatshop: on the nexus between labour commodification and exploitation
in Third World Quarterly
Mezzadri A
(2014)
Indian Garment Clusters and CSR Norms: Incompatible Agendas at the Bottom of the Garment Commodity Chain
in Oxford Development Studies
| Description | The research investigated labour conditions in the two most important sectors for rural circular migrant labour, construction and garments, in the two largest conurbations of the two biggest Asian countries: Greater New Delhi and Greater Shanghai. Finding 1: In both cities labour is affected by a triple absence. Wages and some working conditions are better in Shanghai than in Delhi where most wages are below the legal minimum. However, in both countries labour suffer from a triple absence: the absence of formally recognised labour relations and formally recognised employers, the absence of the de jure or de facto rights to organise, and the absence of wider citizen rights. This is core to the lack of decent work and decent lives for the labourers. Our research establishes this triple absence for the first time. The triple absence is particularly pronounced for the organised, large-scale construction sector in both countries which solely employs unregistered circular migrants hired through labour contractors (highly skilled workers are an exception and may be registered). In the garment sector, especially in Shanghai, direct employment of workers by the factories is more common but the second and third absences are prevalent across the board. In both countries, government and local government practices lead to the absence of local citizen rights for circular migrants (no urban hukuo in Shanghai, no local registration for social and educational rights in Delhi), and to the absence of the protection of labour rights for migrant workers. Finding 2: Small garment workshops are common in Shanghai. This goes against the established view that garment production in China - which constitutes more than one-third of the world's garment export - is overwhelmingly factory based. The structure of the garment sector in India, involving subcontracting from larger to smaller factories, workshops and home workers, is also present in Shanghai. This structure is enabled by the sector's seasonality and its ability to parcel up production into discrete elements. The workshop workforce and its conditions in Shanghai are different from the factories and vary significantly internally. Some workshop workers are highly skilled and well paid, others are poorly paid, still others are egalitarian. Working conditions are worse than in the factories. The workshop findings question all existing generalisations about pay and conditions of garment workers in China and have policy implications. Finding 3: There is no significant difference between wages in export oriented and domestic market oriented factories or between large scale and small factories. Wages in the construction sector are alike between worksites in each of the two cities, as nearly all workers' wages are set by labour contractors. In garment production in Delhi, wages are similar across factory types and between factories and workshops and only homeworkers are paid significantly less. Large export units offer better conditions and more continuous work than others but not better pay. Western consumer movements and CSR have not provided better pay and there is a need for national policy solutions instead. |
| Exploitation Route | The objective is to influence international recommendations and national legislation on 'Decent Work'. Findings 1 and 3 are of most relevance here. The profile of the project within academia is growing. Publishing with continue for 2 years. Two more reports and four academic articles and one synthesis book will be published. Keynote speeches, conference and workshop presentations and invitations to comment on new research continue. CI Mezzadri is a founding member of the new research network 'responsible global value chains'. New research projects involving PI Lerche and CI Pun Ngai and planned research by CI Mezzadri will take findings further. The standing of CIs Pun Ngai and Ravi Srivastava within academia in China and India enable maximum academic impact there. Outside academia routes to impact are through Labour Unions and NGOs, and direct engagement with Governments and international organisations. Four briefing papers was circulated to 10,000 professionals and practitioners and presented at UNDP and ILO headquarters. PIs Pun Ngai and Srivastava continue their successful work with unions, NGOs and governments in India and China. PI Lerche continues initiatives with the ILO while Mezzadri and Lerche work with UK and European based NGOs in the construction and garment global sectors. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Government, Democracy and Justice,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
| URL | https://www.soas.ac.uk/development/research/labour/labour-conditions-and-the-working-poor-in-china-and-india/ |
| Description | The impact of the research is in the area of 'enhancing quality of life and health'. The research documents that, in the garment and construction sector in India and China, firms offer terms and conditions below the national minimum levels stipulated by national legislation, and below what the International Labour Organisation (ILO) considers 'decent work'. This is done by international and national firms alike, and by government owned companies as well as by private sector companies. They employ labourers through chains of subcontracting and through the use of labour contractors. The project has used its evidence to highlight areas of improvements necessary to achieve decent work. The focus has been on improvements of terms and conditions for workers, and improved regulation of labour contractors. In India and China the project has had direct impact on high level policy debates. In China, CI Pun Ngai provided project based background information for a 'Proposal Regarding the Labour Protection for the Construction Workers' that was submitted to the 2015 Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference by Professor Wang Hui (member, CPPCC). The proposal was debated by the CPPCC and has received formal replies by the Government of China Construction Ministry and Labour Bureau concerning the subcontracting system in the construction industry, labour contracts and wage payments. For the 2016 Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, CI Pun Ngai has provided project based background information for a proposal on 'Further Implementation of Labour Protection for the Silicosis Victims in Construction Sector', submitted by Mr. Chang Ka Mun (Hong Hong based member of CPPCC) . These initiatives are on-going and CI Pun NGia continues the evidence based dialogue with CPPCC members. The receptiveness of the Government to the CPPCC proposals must be noted as an encouraging sign that real change in possible in these areas. (Note that the CPPCC initiatives are listed as 'engagement activities' not as 'influence on policy' as the latter category does not allow for influence of the kind achieved here). In India, CI Ravi Srivastava has presented the project evidence on construction workers employed through labour contractors in Government Advisory Committees (of which he is a member) and taken part in briefings and high level discussion meetings with government officials. A key focus of this has been to evidence how existing legislation for Indian inter-state migrants (the Interstate Migrant Workers' Act) falls short of protecting circular migrant workers in the construction industry. He has also provided similar formal evidence to NGOs and Unions in support of their work to propose amendments to the existing legislation. These initiatives are on-going. Globally, the project has aimed at providing information to a wide audience of development professionals on labour conditions and labour contracting systems across different types of firms. It circulated its four 2-page 'Development Viewpoints' with the main findings of the project to 10,000 contacts. In 2014 PI Lerche and CIs Pun Ngai and Alessandra Mezzadri presented its main findings to ILO officials at the ILO headquarter in Geneva, and PI Ravi Srivastava was invited to publish an ILO working paper drawing on the findings from the Indian construction sector (2016). In 2014, PI Lerche presented at the UNDP headquarter in New York, to officials preparing the 2015 Human Development Report on 'Work'. Achieving impact in relation to international organisations in the area of labour relations and conditions takes time. In the short run or next activity is a popular piece on garment labour relations in China, requested by the ILO. The next concerted international push of the project is being planned in relation to the two major reports now published by the project on garment and construction labour relations in India. The last strands of the impact work of the project is working with International Non-Government Organisations, and seeking wider publicity for the findings of the project. On construction, PI Lerche was invited by the European network of construction researchers and trade union officers contribute a paper on conditions in the construction industry in China and India to its CLR Magazine (2014). Regarding the garment sector, CI Mezzadri was interviewed and quoted by the Huffington Post on labour conditions in the Indian garment industry and the role of corporate social responsibility in improving these. She also regularly appears on UK NGO organised panels regarding consumers and garment commodity chains (two panels in the last four months). Both PI Lerche and CI Mezzadri blog in project based issues regarding labour contractors in construction and garment in India and the related absence of Decent Work. The publication of Mezzadri's monograph on the Indian garment sector in April 2016 (Cambridge Univeristy Press) and CI Pun Ngai's monograph on Migrant workers in China will intensify the publicity work further. A number of meetings in the US are planned (CI Pun Ngai) and are being arranged in the UK (CI Alessandra Mezzadri). |
| First Year Of Impact | 2014 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | CI Srivastava: Government of India Committee on Housing Needs of Migrants. Ministry of Urban Poverty Alleviation and Housing |
| Geographic Reach | Asia |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | CI Srivastava: Working Group on Reforms in the Interstate Migrant Workers' Act, Government of India Ministry of Labour |
| Geographic Reach | Asia |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Collaborative Research Fund, Research Grants Council, Hong Kong |
| Amount | HK$4,670,000 (HKD) |
| Funding ID | C5010-15G |
| Organisation | Research Grants Council Hong Kong |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | China |
| Start | 06/2016 |
| End | 06/2018 |
| Description | ERC-SG-SH2 : ERC Starting Grant - Institutions, values, beliefs and behaviour |
| Amount | € 1,500,000 (EUR) |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 01/2014 |
| End | 12/2018 |
| Description | ESRC Research Grants |
| Amount | £1,242,125 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/K002341/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2013 |
| End | 03/2017 |
| Description | Ningpo workshop traning of labour students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This was a traning session for MSc labour students in China. Many questions were raised after the presentation The students were able to better conduct labour research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Action Aid Unorganised labour panel - Srivastava |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | A high level workshop for NGOs and policy makers on Unorganized Labour and Social Protection: A Program for Inclusive Cities CiRiC, ActionAid in collaboration with ASCI, Yugantar, CHATRI, Montfort Social Institute, and the GHMC. Hyderabad. 23rd September 2014. Ravi Srivastava took part in the High-level opening panel. New permanent shelters for construction workers were announced by the City corporation at the workshop: http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2014-09-24/Construction-labourers-to-have-permanent-shelters-108896 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.ciric.in/archives/slider/unorganized-labour-and-social-protection-a-program-for-inclusive... |
| Description | BBC World Service Radio programme 'The Forum' on 'Making the Modern Factory' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alessandra Mezzadri was one of three guests of studio host Bridget Kendall on BBC World Service Radio programme 'The Forum: Making the Modern Factory', discussing contemporary factories, child labour, exploitation and the use of space inside factories based on this research project. Aired 16 May 2018 and now available as podcast on BBC website. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cswpry |
| Description | Blog on labour reforms in India - Lerche |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | The SOAS South Asia Institute's event 'Assessing Modi's Track Record Eighteen Months On', 19 November 2015 attracted 70 participants and the lively debate led to the presentations being published as blogs on the South Asia Institute's website. This included Jens Lerche's presentation on 'Making India? The Labour Law Reforms of Narendra Modi's Government'. After the presentation representatives for NGOs working in India and students have contacted Dr Lerche to get more information. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.soas.ac.uk/south-asia-institute/events/file107716.pdf |
| Description | ETI - ILO roundtable Mezzadri |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | A round table discussion for invited participants only, at London Regents University, July 2016, organised by the ILO Work in freedom programme, for the ILO and ETI (Ethical Trading Initiative): 'Round table on contracting and labour regimes in the lower rungs of garment supply chains'. Alessandra Mezzadri of our team was invited as 'Lead Speaker' and spoke on 'Unfreedom in the Indian garment industry: what the evidence suggests'. This was an event for ILO officers and Third Sector Activists, looking at the extent to which global labour standards on forced labour were breached in the garment sector and we provided the main evidence for the garment sector in India |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.ethicaltrade.org/events/roundtable-contracting-and-labour-regimes-in-lower-rungs-garment-... |
| Description | Huffington Post - Mezzadri |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interviewed for and quoted in Huffington Post article 'The Myth of the Ethical Shopper' by Michael Hobbes. Led to online discussion including 245 comments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/the-myth-of-the-ethical-shopper/ |
| Description | ILO, DFID, NGOs interest in Labour conditions in China and India findings (workshop at SOAS) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | paper presentation |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Practitioners from DFID, the ILO and NGOs and academic colleagues discussed policy changes needed in order to improve conditions for labour in India and China The ILO representative asked the research project to present its labour conditions findings in Geneva and organised a half day workshop for us to present our findings in Geneva 3 months later (June 2014). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | India working poor blog Mezzadri |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Blog on the SOAS South Asia Institute website for all members of the Institute and its global network of academics, students and NGOs working on South Asian issues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://blogs.soas.ac.uk/ssai-notes/2015/03/24/mr-modi-and-the-working-poor-by-alessandra-mezzadri/ |
| Description | Indian Government and organisations interested in labour conditions policy findings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A 2-day discussion of policy implications of the labour conditions research for India, in New Delhi, India, with participation from the Government of India's Ministry of Labour, ILO South Asia office, Trade Unions, Labour NGOs, other NGOs and academic experts. Discussion was wide-ranging and acknowledged that our research improved the understanding of underlying issues influencing labour conditions in the the construction and garment sectors. One of the Trade Unions present indicated it would change its activities in order to better reach migrant labourers, in response to the findings of the research. Other participants are awaiting the final results of the research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | International Labour Organisation invited presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Professionals from different offices within the ILO debated policy findings and the role the ILO could have in promoting their implementation ILO awaiting final findings from the research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | International Union Engagement, Asia |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Presentation for the Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) Asia Pacific programme officer in Feb 2017, on the construction sector and construction industry working conditions in China and India |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Interstate Migrant Workers' Act consultation - Srivastava |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | High Level Consultation on the Interstate Migrant Workers' Act, February 12, 2015. Disha Foundation and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Participation of Government of India officials, Trade Unions representatives and academics. R. Srivastava was one of the organisers and also gave evidence on interstate migration of workers in the construction adn garment industry, drawing on evidence from this project |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Interstate migrant act keynote speaker policy consultation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | R Srivastava was keynote speaker at a two day policy consultation meeting organised by the Indian NGOs Ajeevika Bureau and Citizen Rights Collective (CiRiC) in Hyderabad, 13th and 14th March, 2015, on "Informality, Migration and Vulnerability: Building a Concrete Legislative Framework". Proposals were discussed with the Government of India's Minister of Labour on the second day of the meeting |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.ciric.in/events/conference?pid=425 |
| Description | Labor Protection for the Construction Workers, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference 2015 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | CI Pun Ngai provided background material regarding for a proposal 'Regarding the Labor Protection for the Construction Workers' submitted to Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in March 2015, by Prof. Wang Hui, University of Tsinghua who is a member of CPPCC. The proposal was debated and have received formal replies by the Chinese Construction Ministry and Labor Bureau on the issues of subcontracting system, labor contract and wage payment. Ongoing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Labor Protection for the Silicosis Victims in the Construction Sector, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | CI Pun Ngai provided background material for a proposal on 'Further Implementation of Labor Protection for the Silicosis Victims in Construction Sector', submitted to Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in March 2016. Submitted by Mr. Chang Ka Mun who is a Hong Kong member of CPPCC. The case is on-going |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Labour NGO press conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The activity was a policy investigation on social security and social protection for garment workers in Yangtze River Delta, together with a local labour NGO. This led to a press conference on September 11, 2014 in Beijing. This was reported by the Chinese language newspapers. After the press conference, high level party officials showed interest in my work |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Labour behind the label talk - Mezzadri |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | December 12, 2015, 60 students and NGO representatives attended public event organised by 'Labour behind the label'" 'Trade, Aid and Fashion: How Can We Make Fashion Fair?'. A. Mezzadri was speaker and took part in the initial panel setting the scene on fashion, aid and trade. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/whats-on.php?event=170841 |
| Description | UNDP Headquarters, New York - policy issue arising from the research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | UNDP officers from the Human Development Report Office and other offices found they reached a deeper understanding of labour conditions policy issues. Two officers asked for permission to use our findings in their work. Talk led to proposed inclusion of full page 'box' in UNDP Asia-Pacific Human Development Report 2015 of main policy findings of the research. Box is now written by UNDP staff and awaits final inclusion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |