When Chinese Premier Li Keqiang omitted a reference to collective bargaining in an annual policy speech last week, labor scholars worried that Beijing may be backing away from a much-needed policy tool for dealing with rising industrial unrest.
China’s state-controlled trade unions are seeking to allay such concerns. They are pledging to keep promoting collective bargaining in a way that calms labor tensions without derailing growth in the country’s already-slowing economy.
“Collective wage bargaining is something we will continue to promote,” said Li Shouzhen, a senior official at the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, or ACFTU. “It is a tried-and-tested process that’s practiced by successful enterprises.”
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