From Iron Rice Bowl to Informalization

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the organizational cultures and practices of labor nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in China. Although these organizations all claim to pursue and protect workers' rights, in actual practice many have become focused on developing their roles as government liaisons and on building patronage, on the one hand, and market opportunities, on the other. The chapter attributes these practices to the political and economic circumstances under which these organizations have emerged and survived. It also examines two activities commonly undertaken by Chinese labor NGOs: labor law education and the collection of unpaid wages for workers. It finds that rather than cultivating workers' collective power, many labor NGOs have an anti-solidarity tendency.

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