On November 21, 2024, hundreds of workers protested by blocking roads in Shanghai, leading to a crackdown by authorities. (Online Screenshot/Dajiyuan)
[People News] On November 21, a labor protest occurred at Shanghai Guoli Automotive Leather Trim Co., Ltd., where workers blocked a main road in Qibao Town. Videos shared online show workers in blue and white factory uniforms standing in a line, obstructing traffic on a major thoroughfare. Police removed some workers, sparking shouting and commotion among the protesters.
According to Radio Free Asia, a staff member at the Qibao Town Petition Office stated that the government was leading the resolution of the incident but was unsure if union representatives were involved in negotiations between the workers and the company. The staff member also confirmed that labor disputes at the factory had been ongoing for some time, not just on this day.
A Qibao Town Party and Mass Work Office representative revealed that the case had been handed over to the Minhang District government because Shanghai Guoli Automotive Leather Trim Co., Ltd. is a central state-owned enterprise (SOE). The factory had issued a notice on October 9, offering workers with more than three years of service three months of local minimum wage if they voluntarily resigned. However, one of the conditions was that they must not have been involved in any labor disputes with the company. Shanghai’s minimum wage is 2,690 yuan per month.
Shanghai Guoli Automotive Leather Trim Co., Ltd. was consecutively awarded the title of "Outstanding Economic Contributor" by the Minhang District government in 2021, 2022, and 2023. In February of this year, the Qibao Town government also presented the company with an "Excellence in Contribution Award."
A police officer on duty at the Qibao Town Police Station stated that the police would not have intervened in the labor dispute if the workers had not blocked the roads.
On November 20, the day before the workers from Shanghai Guoli Automotive Leather Trim Co., Ltd. staged their road-blocking protest in downtown Shanghai, the Labor and Personnel Dispute Arbitration Committee of Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, announced that it had accepted a labor dispute case filed by five workers against the company. The workers are seeking compensation for the unlawful termination of their employment contracts. The hearing is scheduled for January 8, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., and the company has been instructed to attend the proceedings.
Additionally, according to information from the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions, the factory's union chairperson, Song Baowei, was elected as a "Shanghai Advanced Union Worker" just a year ago. The Labor News column will conduct an in-depth investigation into the reasons behind the workers’ road-blocking protest.
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