Blue Paper on the Role of Chinese Trade Unions in Safeguarding the Legitimate Rights and Interests of Workers 2004 (Excerpt)

During the course of 2004, the Chinese trade unions earnestly implemented their strategy of ＂Organizing for Better Protection,＂ steppedup efforts to regulate industrial relations, effectively defended the legitimate rights and interests of workers.

Blue Paper on the Role of Chinese Trade Unions in Safeguarding the Legitimate Rights and Interests of Workers (2005)(Excerpt)

EDITOR＇S NOTE： All China Federation of Trade Unions （ACFTU） has recently published Blue Paper on the Role of Chinese Trade Unions in Safeguarding the Legitimate Rights and Interests of Workers （2005）, which consist of 11 parts： preserve the correct orientation of Chinese trade unions as a protector of workers＇ legitimate rights and interests; protect workers＇ right to join and form trade union; organize and represent workers to exercise the right to equal consultation; protect workers＇ labor and economic rights; guarantee workers＇ democratic and political rights; fulfill workers＇ spiritual and cultural needs; actively participate in adjusting labor relations and handling labor disputes; protect migrant workers＇ legitimate rights and interests; promote gender equality and protect women workers＇ special rights and interests; take innovations in the way trade unions protect workers; and mobilize and organize workers to play the role of the working class as the main force in economic construction, and the following is an abstracted edition of it.

Chinese Trade Unions Strive to Protect Workers' Rights and Interests in Dealing with the Global Financial Crisis

Protecting the rights and interests of workers and staff members constitutes an important aspect of China＇s human rights protection. At the time when the country is dealing with impacts of the global financial crisis, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions has been working fruitfully and effectively to accelerate economic and social development and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of workers, therefore making contributions to the protection of the rights and interests of Chinese workers. Now I would like to make a brief introduction on this subject.

On the Translation of the Government Work Report —Comparing with the State of the Union Address

China's splendid achievements and fast development attract the attention of the whole world. The rising of the great power shock the rest countries. More and more people want to know what is happening in this country and what effect it will bring to the world. At the same time, Chinese people have gradually realized the importance of exchanging information with other countries. Under this motivation, the translation of Chinese materials into English becomes necessary and essential. It is an effective way to present China comprehensively. Among all these materials, Government Work Report is one of the most remarkable ones. The translation of it plays a key role to present the image of China to the world. But, compared with State of the Union address, the translation of Government Work Report contains some problems from the perspective of foreignization and domestication theory. This essay will discuss the differences between these two texts at the lexical, syntactic, and discourse level from the angle of foreignization and domestication theory, and give some suggestions to the translation of Government Work Report.

REMINISCENCES OF THE PAST——WORKING FOR CHINA'S FOREIGN TRADE

In December 1958, the China Council forthe Promotion of InternationalTrade(CCPIT) established its PublicityDepartment. Its task was to take over themagazine China’s Foreign Trade, transferredfrom the Ministry of Foreign Trade. Ms. LuJiyin held the post of department head, and Iwas transferred from the post of the ResearchDepartment Commissioner to that of thePublicity Department Commissioner to assisther in her work. The magazine China’s Foreign Tradewas originally established in 1956 by thePropaganda Section under the General Officeof the Ministry of Foreign Trade. It had twoeditions: Chinese and English, under trialpublication. The magazine, sponsored by theMinistry of Foreign Trade was a trialpublication in nature, so when the task

＂Beyond the Dreams of Loveliness＂ --Film, Unionism, and Working Class Community Formation in Detroit, 1933-1939

Ever since Lawrence Goodwyn published The Populist Moment, social historians have been keenly aware of the power culture represents when it comes to resistance. Historically, ＂movement culture＂ has been used to create a collective climate and offered political activists a springboard to discuss with the masses the benefits of joining a social movement. ＂Beyond the Dreams of Loveliness＂ uses the cultural outlet of film and the labor movement in the city of Detroit as analytical tools to examine working class community resistance throughout the 1930s. In the midst of the ＂golden age of film＂ community activists and union organizers--some of whom were well-known radicals and some of whom were mainstream unionists--used the institution of cinema to instill a level of class consciousness in the masses and mobilize the working class community against exploitation of employers, reactionary politicians, and white supremacist organizations. Movie-going had been a very popular form of recreation in Detroit since the 1920s and downtown theatres increasingly became the destination of an eclectic array of workers. Movie theaters themselves were bastions of community activity around the thirties and many were located in the heart of the city＇s working class district. Yet it was the films themselves that offered community activists and unionists a chance to converse with workers regarding the socio-economic matters of the day. Hollywood released a good number of films that dealt with working class issues and provided activists with ample opportunities to ＂instruct＂ the audience and carry on the discussion into the factory or union halls. ＂Beyond the Dreams of Loveliness＂ relies on a combination of oral histories, movie reviews, film clips, and union and/or working class organizational records to illuminate how activists in Detroit＇s working class community used film as an outlet to inspire working class resistance. In sum, film provided an accessible form of entertainment that proved to be effective on two fronts： It promoted increased group cooperation, friendship, and alliances while it also fostered a shared culture, making it easier for activists to organize workers in the coming struggles for unionism.

The Diffusion of Bilateral Tendencies in the Common Trade Policy of the European Union During the Global Financial and Economic Crisis

In this research work, the author focuses on the analysis of the diffusion of bilateral tendencies in the common trade policy of the European Union （EU） during the global financial and economic crisis. Realistic point is important trends in the trade regime during the economic crisis. The decisions taken by the representatives of the governments participating in the World Trade Organisation （WTO） are, to a significant degree, influenced by various lobbies, such as organisations and unions of food producers or other non-governmental organisations, including trade unions, The main objective of the research task is to give a comprehensive analysis of the international trade policy during the world financial and economic crisis 2008-2010. The particular mains concern the political economy models of foreign trade policy, protectionistic pressures in different political system, the level of protectionistic pressures, food producer pressures, international trade liberalization, and environmental protection bilateral tendencies in the common trade policy of the EU and the respond of the EU to the economic crisis, it must be emphasized that on a theoretical level, understanding the choice of trade policies between liberalizm and protectionisme is very important. Despite the undeniable benefits of the multilateral WTO forum for trade liberalisation, the rapid increase of North-South bilateral and multilateral Free Trade Areas （FTAs） begs a systematic explanation for why some forums are prioritized relative to others.

The Management and Use of Trade Union Funds in Public Institutions

Trade union funds are the basis and guarantee for various activities in public institutions.It is of great significance to constantly enhance the vitality of trade unions and the competitiveness of public institutions to continuously improve the management and use of trade union funds,thus giving full play to the role of trade union funds to better serve workers.This paper analyzes the management and use of trade union funds in the present situation and proposes several measures for improvement.

The impact of working capital management on credit rating

This study investigates the possible nonlinear relationship between working capital and credit rating.Furthermore,it examines the relationship between the three components of working capital(inventory,accounts receivable,and accounts payable)and a firm’s credit rating.Employing data for U.S listed firms for the period between 1985 and 2017,the results of our ordered probit model show a nonlinear relationship between working capital and its components and credit rating.Finally,we find that the deviation from the optimal working capital adversely affects the credit rating.The results of this study are of significant importance for policy makers,managers,decision makers,and credit-rating agencies,as they help highlight the importance of working capital management for a firm’s credit rating.

Impact of Prevailing Wages on the Cost among the Various Construction Trades

In 1997, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 102 which established the Ohio School Facilities Commission as a separate agency to oversee the rebuilding projects of the public schools in Ohio. The bill also exempted the construction contractors from paying prevailing wages on these projects on the hypothesis that this exemption would lower the construction cost. The purpose of this study is to investigate this hypothesis through the statistical analysis of 8,093 bids received from the years 2000 through 2007 for the schools＇ construction. Union contractors who paid their workers union wages and non-union contractors who did not pay prevailing wages bid these projects. The hypothesis, that prevailing wage laws increased the construction cost, was tested by comparing the bids/SF （square foot） from both groups （union and nonunion） for the different construction trades. The study indicated that there was statistical significant difference between the bids/square foot for union contractors and the bids/square foot for non-union contractors for only the following trades： earthwork, existing conditions, plumbing, electrical and HVAC （heating, ventilation and air conditioning）. The averages of bids/SF from the union contractors were higher than those from the non-union contractors for earthwork, existing conditions and plumbing works, and the opposite for electrical and HVAC works. There was no statistical significant difference in the bids from the communications, concrete, conveying equipment, electronic safety and security, equipment, finishes, fire suppression, furnishings, masonry, openings, structural steel, thermal and moisture protection, plastics and composites and wood works.

＂Marikana Has Come to the Farms!!!＂： An Analysis of the Socio-Economic Impact of the November 2012-January 2013 Farm Workers＇ Strike in the Western Cape

In August 2012 a bloody strike broke out at the Marikana platinum mine, close to Rustenburg in the Northwest Province. The strike, involving 3,000 African miners, became violent and police opened fire and killed 34 people. The issue of minimum wages and union recognition, inter alia, were underlying causes of this strike. The much televised Marikana strike had a knock-on effect and a few months later a widespread strike broke out among workers in the agricultural sector of the Western Cape. Large-scale destruction of property and crop damage took place on farms reaching levels of militancy never previously encountered in this sector. As in the case of the Marikana strike the root causes of the strike action in the Western Cape seemed to be the question of minimum wages, and, to a lesser extent, union recognition and other social issues involving political undertones. This article explores the socio-economic causes of the strike and its ramifications for labour and agriculture in the province.

Revision of Trade Union Law: For Better Protection of Workers' Rights and Interests

On October 27, 2001, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress adopted a decision on revision of the People's Republic of China Trade Union Law. Guan Huai, legal advisor to the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, had the following to say in an interview with the Human Rights:

Sino-European Trade Competition in Latin America and the Caribbean

The article studies trade in goods between China and the Latin American and Caribbean （LAC） countries and between the European Union （EU） and LAC during the years from 2000 to 2013. From the beginning of the 21st century, big changes in LAC＇s trade patterns have been observed. The article contains possible explanation of them. The analysis is based on the ECLAC （Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean） data. Merchandise trade between China and LAC grew significantly over the period from 2000 to 2013. In 2013, the value of merchandise exports from China was higher than from the EU-28 in the case of 12 LAC countries. Chinese imports of goods surpassed the European ones in five countries in the region. In order to increase its exports of manufactured goods and imports of natural resources and agricultural commodities, China combines trade arrangements with foreign aid policy. Besides, a rapid development of bilateral diplomatic ties between China and LAC is observed. The EU-LAC trade relations have worsened during the last decade mainly due to financial crisis and development of the EU-Asia trade relations.

The Emerging Trade in Donkey Hide: An Opportunity or a Threat for Communities in Kenya?

Donkey hides are used in a form of Traditional Chinese medicine called ejiao, the demand for ejiao is currently so high the global donkey population is currently in decline. Africa’s donkey population is considered a key source for the trade, with Kenya being highlighted as being particularly affected. In Kenya donkeys play a vital contribution to people’s livelihoods;this study aimed to explore the potential impact of the donkey hide trade on small holder farmer’s livelihoods. The study was conducted in five counties in Kenya;data was collected using household survey questionnaires, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. When household survey participants (n = 421) were asked if the number of donkeys in their herd had decreased within the last two years 34.2% (n = 144) reported a decrease, of those 43.8% (n = 63) reported the selling of donkeys as the primary cause of reduction in herd size. Increased money spent on the transportation of farm produce, water and firewood was the most frequently reported effect of the loss of donkeys (62.5%, n = 263). Some focus group discussion participants said that they had previously sold their donkeys to raise money for school fees, likewise 43% (n = 97) of focus group discussion participants said that they would sell their donkeys to pay medical bills. Results from the study suggest that small holder farmers are choosing to sell their donkeys for an instant boost in income, but long-term this is unlikely to be a sustainable livelihood option.

Caught Up in the Eurozone Crisis？ The Case of Australia and China

As the Eurozone celebrated its decade of existence in 2011, few could have predicted that the ever-deepening financial crisis would emerge. The fear with the Eurozone crisis is that with major bail outs projected and government austerity expects to affect the economy in negative terms, the economies in the Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Spain （PIIGS） states will decline and consumption will decrease. Being the largest trading partner of European Union （EU）, China＇s export is therefore anticipated to decline. In lesser ways, the Australian economy was also expected to feel some economic pain. The aim of this paper is to ascertain what level of economic impact the Eurozone crisis would have on both China and Australia, given that few nations in the world can aspire to remain unaffected.

Renovation and Protection Project of Peking Union Medical College:Renovation and Reconstruction Design of Concealed Works

Peking Union Medical College(PUMC),as the representative work of Chinese modern architecture,has had a great impact on the development of Chinese modern architecture.Its advanced and complete concealed works contain great value and are valuable materials for the study of Chinese modern architecture.This paper studies the concealed works of PUMC,enriches the research data in this field,and summarizes the transformation design scheme of concealed works in the protection and repair of ancient buildings of PUMC.

More Than 66 Mln Chinese Migrant Workers Join Trade Unions

According to figures recently released by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, more than 66.74 million Chinese migrant workers, people who come from rural areas and land jobs in cities, became trade union members. The federation estimated there are 210 million migrant workers nationwide with the country＇s rural population of 900 million. The total number of trade union members increased from 123 million in 2003 to 209 million by the end of June 2008, said the federation.

Chinese Trade Unions:Shifting Priority from Corporate Interest to Employee Interest

With rising labor disputes over recent years,the role of Chinese trade unions has come to the spotlight of public attention.Based on the latest practices of labor relations in China,this paper employs such methods as text analysis,treatment effect model and instrumental variable to theoretically and empirically demonstrate the shifting role of trade unions in China.Our findings suggest that:(1)Trade unions have lived up to their mandate of protecting employee interest,and have significantly improved employee benefits.(2)Trade unions are no longer preoccupied with corporate interest as they did in a previous period and have restored their role as labor organizations.(3)With the shifting priority of the Party and government,administrative affiliation may propel the transition of operational and organizational models of trade unions,and contribute to rather than impede the shift in trade union functions.Thus,the Party and government should enhance leadership over trade union organizations to create harmonious labor relations.

Globalization and Industrial Relations in Transformation Economies： The Contextual Issues

Employee rights have and continue to be subject to significant analysis in developing economies from numerous perspectives： the economic dimension, the cultural and socio-political significance and the interconnectivity of these factors. Although this phenomenon is well established in pluralist democracies, it is an important factor in the process of democratization in some developing economies and a panacea for enduring Industrial Relations （IR） in many transformational economies. This paper contributes to this issue in Nigeria （as an example of a transformation economy） by focusing on the industrial relations characteristics that are being developed in the country. These characteristics are being highlighted by further investigating the emerging contextual issues which have significant contribution to the effectiveness of industrial relations and thus raising the floor for employee rights/voice/democracy in the work environment. Furthermore, the paper is based on the analysis from 12 companies with well-established IR practices and who are also key players in the Nigeria Employers＇ Consultative Association （NECA）. The evidence from the empirical findings suggests that despite globalization, employee rights have specific country orientation （acquiring new contours） and thus reflecting the socio-economic and cultural predisposition which is common with many transformation economies.