China Trade Unions to Increase Role at Foreign Firms, Daily Says

The All China Federation of Trade Unions will work to increase the power of workers unions to negotiate wages at private and foreign companies in the nation, the China Daily reported today, citing Guo Chen, deputy division chief of the capacity building department of the federation.

Strikes that affected production by Japanese automakers and suicides at Foxconn Technology Group’s factory in Shenzhen showed that their unions were “not efficient,” Guo was cited as saying. The democratic election of union leaders is a good way to ensure better functioning unions, the newspaper cited Guo as saying.