The Wire

As economic growth in China’s manufacturing sector declines, there are fears workers strikes will continue and even intensify. In the last week alone, workers have continued to strike in their thousands. In one case, state media reported some 1,000 workers rioted last Tuesday following the death of one of their colleagues allegedly over a wage dispute. Also, 200 workers at a Foxconn factory in central Hubei province threated to jump off the roof of a building in a protest over wages. The Chinese government claims around 90,000 so-called mass incidents take place every year, but can the wave of strikes be called a labour movement?