I see the critiques of the new China policy on mandatory worker representation and participation but I don't see how it isn't a massive step forward for the country
It feels like a massive gift to union organizers, mandating the assembly of all employees in small companies and elected representatives for larger companies. Beginning the precedent of employee organizations being able to hire and fire managers and leadership, having full access to financial data and large decisions ahead of time etc
Especially for smaller companies like startups it seems like having an assembly with every employee, being able to see each other's wages, etc would be a significant kick start to union organizing and strike actions
The Party is already squeezing these companies at the top with party representatives, financial controls, liquidating the real estate sector to reinvest in industry (a move which by itself would give labor significant leverage), 90%+ home ownership. Even if the employee assembly policy can be criticized for incrementalism I don't know how that critique stands against the backdrop of everything else that is shifting.
The biggest concern on the English speaking left has been that Dengist China would simply continue doing what worked under Deng, and yet Evergrande wasn't bailed out and Chinese real estate speculation was left to run its natural course (crisis, collapse, nationalization?). The direction seems very divergent to me after China experienced its own 2008 crisis.
Growing state control of corporate boards, 90% home ownership rates, reinvestment from finance to industry, and now a massive kickstart to employee assemblies. Even just getting every non-manager into the same room/mailing list. Worker organization should be a natural consequence of these conditions, and they should be more organically viable for now than if they were quickly imposed from the top-down.
Unedited tired rambling:
I see the critiques of the new China policy on mandatory worker representation and participation but I don't see how it isn't a massive step forward for the country
It feels like a massive gift to union organizers, mandating the assembly of all employees in small companies and elected representatives for larger companies. Beginning the precedent of employee organizations being able to hire and fire managers and leadership, having full access to financial data and large decisions ahead of time etc
Especially for smaller companies like startups it seems like having an assembly with every employee, being able to see each other's wages, etc would be a significant kick start to union organizing and strike actions
The Party is already squeezing these companies at the top with party representatives, financial controls, liquidating the real estate sector to reinvest in industry (a move which by itself would give labor significant leverage), 90%+ home ownership. Even if the employee assembly policy can be criticized for incrementalism I don't know how that critique stands against the backdrop of everything else that is shifting.
The biggest concern on the English speaking left has been that Dengist China would simply continue doing what worked under Deng, and yet Evergrande wasn't bailed out and Chinese real estate speculation was left to run its natural course (crisis, collapse, nationalization?). The direction seems very divergent to me after China experienced its own 2008 crisis.
Growing state control of corporate boards, 90% home ownership rates, reinvestment from finance to industry, and now a massive kickstart to employee assemblies. Even just getting every non-manager into the same room/mailing list. Worker organization should be a natural consequence of these conditions, and they should be more organically viable for now than if they were quickly imposed from the top-down.