Blog: Instantiate

The Gist: There are effectively no OSHA standards or unions in China. This means a client who insists on it could improve the lives a number workers, without giving up anything.

Making things a little better.

What are things like on the ground in China.
Chinese factories live in fierce competition with each other, vying for work, especially for overseas contracts.

There are countless small workshops and
factories spread over China. Many are large, professional operations. But the vast majority are small, shops.

Factories manned by millions of young people, fresh from the countryside.
People who never had a much of chance at an education, so a lot of these workers without much information.

Factories are run and most decisions by a single bossman (老板). Thebossman can and will negotiate anything.

Some many changes are darn easy to make. Just fixing the "easy fixes" could make a huge impact.


A few stats:
Chinese probable ACTUAL unemployment (according to RAND: 23%. The underemployed is even higher. Note: Shanghai still has some elevator operators.
Number of factories workers in China: 109 million (2002)
Percentage of US workforce in agriculture: 2%, In China: 60%
Labor unions are state controlled. The bossman is usually the union rep also.
Estimated Annual turnover in a typical Chinese enterprise: 40%



 

Problem with the workers.
There is currently little consciousness of worker safety. The workers have no idea of what could be better. If they leave another worker will show up tomorrow.


When we source our own work, we start with a small list of requirements:
Hearing protection.
Proper goggles
Clear, well lit work spaces.
Clean food and clean water.
This shit does it does not materially affect costs at all. It is even that not hard. If an international client asks for items to be packed a special way, or to change a color, you think there is a problem. A factory runs on money and willpower.
You just got to ride people to wear their goggles, and bust them if they do not. If you check it, work with the bosses and foremen, and it is in the contract: you can make it happen.

There are some cans of worms not to open though:
Push western style labor union or collective bargaining. There are some legal restrictions here.
Press environmental issue. These problems need to be dealt with by environmental agencies, and can't be addressed one client out of many.
In our own shops we go further, but these are things we can do for you.

Related Sites:
http://www.coolnotcruel.com/
Nice site, but seem to be a little too non-profit, labor union focused to pull it off.