Power Struggles – The Rise of Labor Unrest in China

This article first appeared in an edited format in Volume 12 Issue 5 of Asian-Mena Counsel 2014.

Employee protests and labor unrest are on the rise in China in all senses—overall occurrences, frequency, geographical spread, number of employees involved, and media coverage. Such unrest can take a variety of forms, including strikes, lock-outs, production slowdowns, legal actions, and media campaigns. Foreign companies in particular are increasingly faced with a diverse range of such situations and a workforce that is more willing and determined to collectively assert their labor rights.