Hong Kong: Labour activists and socialists protest in solidarity with the Foshan Honda workers’ strike (video)
Thursday, 3 June 2010.
chinaworker.info
1,900 mostly young workers' at the Japanese car giant's Foshan components plant in southern China embarked on a strike for higher pay on 17 May. The strike has been suspended for three days in response to a company offer to raise wages by around 400 yuan per month. Workers demand an 800 yuan increase and the reinstatement of two workers sacked for their role in the strike. They have demanded the right to elect their own union officers.
Representatives of the official pro-government and pro-Honda trade union agreed to apologise for their violent attack on striking workers on 31 May. The official union hired thugs to manhandle workers and pressure them to accept the latest offer, but the tactic backfired and enraged workers.
At the Hong Kong protest in Causeway Bay, organised by chinaworker.info and League of Social Democrats (LSD), slogans of “Shame on Honda” and “For independent democratic trade unions” were chanted. Legislator “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung led the protesters up to the 39th floor office of Honda China, where the protest continued with Honda representatives refusing to receive a protest letter. A letter of demands was taped to the door.
Through the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) chinaworker.info has appealed for messages of support for the strike to be sent in order to raise the pressure on Honda and the local government in Foshan. Among those who have sent protest letters are Rob Williams from the Unite union in Britain, who was a strike leader at the Linamar motor components plant last year. Joe Higgins, Member of the European Parliament for the Socialist Party (CWI) also protested to Honda over the company’s failure to meet workers’ demands.
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