The moral universe of aggrieved Chinese workers

Isabelle Thireau (1) , Linshan Hua (1)

1 CCJ - Chine, Corée, Japon

This article examines the normative repertoire used by Chinese workers to interpret the reality they face, focusing on the sense of injustice expressed by workers addressing two different institutions: arbitration committees (zhongcai weiyuanhui) and Letters and Visits Offices (xinfangke). The data used consist of files selected from the archives of the Labour Bureau of the Shenzhen municipal government. Each of the two institutions serves a somewhat different constituency of aggrieved employees. The arbitration committees are resorted to most frequently by employees with some financial means and standing, while the Letters and Visits Offices are turned to more frequently by groups of marginalized, impoverished workers. For this latter group, the Offices provide not just a means to challenge specific violations of their legal rights, but more than this, to focus on the political and social norms they believe should be applicable to the workplace. Such arguments are often expressed in appeals that focus on diverse state regulations, and the state has been brought under pressure to act in conformity with these.

Mots clés: Chinese workers; Appeals to Arbitration Committees and Letters and Visits Offices

Mots clés: Ouvriers chinois; comités d'arbitrage; Bureaux des Lettres et des Visites

Domaines: Sociologie

Isabelle Thireau, Linshan Hua. The moral universe of aggrieved Chinese workers: workers'appeals to arbitration, Committees and Letters and Visits Offices. The China Journal, 2003, July, pp.83-103. ⟨halshs-00169633⟩