Solidarity with Honda Workers’ Struggle

全球呼吁：支持中国本田工人斗争 要求提高工资改组基层工会

各工会、民间团体和关心中国劳工状况的朋友：

位于广东省佛山市的本田汽车零部件制造有限公司工人罢工已经进入第十四天。这是近年来中国工人的罢工行动中较为持久的一次，在关心中国工人状况的朋友为富士康工人的跳楼事件感动悲伤的时候，本田工人的斗争无疑起到很大的鼓舞作用。

本田员工向我们反映，他们的斗争已经取得一定的成果。在工厂共1800多员工中，竟然高达8成是技校未毕业的实习生，由于他们和公司签订的是实习合同，不受《劳动法》保障，工资低至每月900元，低于最低工资水平，也没有购买任何社会保险。在学校招工时，公司承诺包吃包住，但实质上只是每天包一餐，工资扣除宿舍的水电费后，工人每月只能拿到700多元。实习生在实习约一年并取得毕业证之后才能转为正式员工。但是即使正式员工的工资也只是每月1000元。

5月17日，全体员工开始罢工，在资方召集的大会上，员工提出108项要求，并应资方的要求选出30名代表。其后，资方不但没有拿出诚意谈判，还解雇了两名员工代表，企图杀鸡儆猴。一直到5月24日，资方才愿意每月给予55元的伙食津贴，被员工严正拒绝。实习生和正式工人保持了高度的勇气和团结，坚持罢工。到了5月26日，本田提出分化方案，实习生增加工资477元，正式员工只是增加355元。员工拒绝资方分化方案，5月27日经集体协商后再次向资方提出几点重要的要求：1）基本工资加800元，工资提升三天内重签劳动合同，年度提升不可以少于15%，年终奖、节日补贴不能少于上一年；2）追加工龄补贴，工龄每增加一年加100元，10年封顶；3）对罢工员工不秋后算账，被辞退的员工必须安排复工；4）重整工会，重新选举工会主席及各相关工作人员。

5月28日，资方再次提出新方案，实习生的工资在第三个月起增加到634元，正式员工维持加薪355元。同时，资方开始透过种种手段迫使实习生复工，包括要求他们在5月31日上午9时之前签署和提交不罢工“承诺书”，并召来部分实习生的在校老师连同地方政府官员向实习生施加压力，要求31日上班。在整个过程中，本田工会不但没有为罢工员工提供任何协助，反而要求员工尽快回到自己的岗位上恢复生产。

Global Appeal

Solidarity with Honda Workers’ Struggle for Demanding Higher Wages and Restructuring of the shop floor Trade Union

To brothers and sisters at trade unions, civil society and friends who concern about the labor situation in China:

Honda Auto Parts Manufacturing Co., Ltd. located in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, has entered the 14th day strike. This is one of the many strikes of Chinese workers that lasts the longest in recent years. When many people are concerned and moved with great grief by the tragedy of Foxconn’s workers who had committed suicide by jumping from a building, the struggle of Honda workers undoubtedly is very encouraging.

Honda workers told us that their struggle has got some success. Among a total of more than 1,800 employees in the factory, 80 percent of them are student interns from technical schools. Since they signed a internship contract, they are not protected the labor law and their wages is as low as 900 Yuan per month which is lower than the minimum wage level, and they are not covered by any social insurance. When these interns were recruited in schools, the company promised free lodging and meals but only one meal is provided a day. After deducting the cost of utilities for lodging, workers can only get around 700 Yuan per month. Interns can become regular employees only after they finished one year internship and obtained a diploma. Even these interns become regular employees the wages is only 1,000 Yuan per month.

On May 17, all workers went a strike and at the general assembly convened by the employers, the workers made 108 demands and elected 30 representatives upon employer’s request. However, the employer not only failed to show good faith in negotiations, but also dismissed two worker representatives in an attempt scare the others.

May 24, the company agreed to give 55 Yuan a month as meal allowance which was sternly rejected by workers. The regular employees and the interns maintained a high degree of courage and solidarity and insisted to continue the strike.

May 26, Honda management proposed a differentiation that interns will get a wage increase of 477 Yuan per month but the regular staff will only get an increase of 355 Yuan. All workers refused the differentiation formula.

May 27 after discussing collectively, the workers again proposed a few important demands:

1. An increase of basic pay of 800 Yuan per month. Within three days of the wage increase, re-signed a labor contract, and the annual raise must not less than 15%. Year-end bonus, festival subsidies cannot be less than the previous year;
2. Compensation of additional years of service subsidies--for each year of service, there will an increase of 100 Yuan per year with a 10-year cap;
3. Reinstate the dismissed employees and no punishment for workers who joined the strikes;
4. Re-structure the company’s trade union—Re-elect trade union chairman and the trade union related staff.

May 28, Honda management again came up with a new proposal:

Interns’ wages will be increased to 634 Yuan per month after the first three month employment and regular staff’s wage increase remains the same (355 Yuan per month). At the same time, through various means, Honda began to force the interns to sign a “no more strike” promise which has to be submitted before 9 am of May 31. What is more, Honda called in some teachers of the interns and the local government officials to exert pressure on the interns and urged them to go back to work on May 31. Throughout the process, the Honda trade union not only failed to provide any assistance for the strike workers, but urge them resume production as soon as possible.