Industrial relations: What’s left • Table.Briefings

Railroad worker Li Weijie at a protest on Sept. 10 in Zhejiang province.

Former train driver Li Weijie unsuccessfully sued a state-owned company for outstanding payments. Instead of support from an independent trade union, he experienced repression. His case shows that in China, trade union involvement often remains a battle against windmills. This makes it all the more exciting to see how Chinese investments in Volkswagen and Co. will affect the working culture in Germany in the long term.

Li Weijie 李伟杰 can only shake his head at the good reputation of Chinese employers in Germany. While Chinese investors in this country are said to accept the rights of employees without resistance, Li has had very different experiences with state-owned companies in the People’s Republic.

Industrial relations: What’s left of China’s protest culture

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