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China: strikes in BYD factories announce a new stage in the class struggle In fact, workers at the Wuxi factory had already struck in April 2024 against the compulsory 40-hour workweek introduced by BYD, although this was unsuccessful. In China, the farcical minimum wages set by the regime are far below the levels needed for any reasonable existence. For example, the monthly minimum wage in Shanghai – the highest in China – was only ¥2,690 ($370) in 2024, a fraction of the estimated living wage of ¥5,132 ($707). Thus, workers rely heavily on overtime pay to simply make ends meet. The ‘overtime ban’ by BYD, like its move to prohibit workers from taking side jobs, was in fact an attempt to lay off workers without severance pay amidst massive overproduction. Without any overtime to supplement their income, workers are left with an unsustainable monthly pay of between ¥3000-4000 ($413-550) or even less, forcing them, ‘voluntarily’, to resign. State represses worker militancy After these repeated attacks and insults, it was hardly surprising that a new anti-worker offensive by BYD sparked a fierce fightback. It is interesting to note that the strikes broke out almost simultaneously, with only a short interval, which signifies possible communication or even coordinated action between workers in cities over 1,000 kilometres apart. Another important feature of the strikes was the militant fighting spirit and the astuteness of the striking workers. In Chengdu, the workers correctly rejected the company’s demand to send 10 delegates for negotiation – who could be either bought off or, more likely, subject to police reprisals – or to negotiate in small groups behind closed doors, insisting instead on confronting BYD publicly and en masse. Furthermore, when a representative from management attempted to intimidate the gathered workers by shouting through a megaphone, he was immediately called to order with loud protests and jeers from the workers: “What’s wrong with you?” “Stop being condescending!” One of them even jokingly asked, “Are you a labourer (dagongren) or not?” The CCP regime fully understood the danger of such a large-scale display of class consciousness and militancy by the workers in a flagship company of Chinese capitalism. The strikes were marked by a heavy police presence from the beginning. In Wuxi, intimidation, combined with a ‘vacation’ announced by BYD, seemed to work, and the strike ran out of steam after 29 March. In Chengdu, however, after BYD’s deceptions and threats failed, the strike was forcibly broken by police and even SWAT units who were deployed to seize the factory and arrest workers on 2 April. The number of those arrested is unclear, but at least one police bus was used, likely to transport the detained workers. Class struggle ahead Although the BYD workers were temporarily defeated, history wastes nothing. The experience of the strike – the solidarity of the workers, the duplicity of the company, and the brutality of the regime – will leave a lasting imprint on the consciousness of the thousands of workers who struck, along with the many workers and youths who closely followed the events. Not only did BYD and the regime show their true class interests that run counter to those of the workers, but the leadership of the state-run ‘union’, the ACFTU, were (again!) completely exposed as the agents and henchmen of the bosses. The workers identified and ridiculed the ACFTU local president, who literally stood shoulder to shoulder with the BYD agents, trying to pacify the workers on the latter’s behalf. Similarly, when BYD attempted to confuse the workers by raising the issue of a supposed “conference of employees’ representatives” in 2024, the workers responded, “Representing whom?” “Who were the ‘employees’ representatives?” etc. Many of the workers have surely realised the need for genuine trade unions and other workers’ fighting organisations. Considering that any such organisations are anathema to the CCP regime and Chinese capitalism, this would compel the most advanced elements to draw revolutionary conclusions – if they haven’t already. In reality, the inspiring BYD strikes were only a foretaste of the class struggles ahead. The worsening crisis of overproduction in China is pushing workers in different locations and sectors into struggles, consciously or not. Take Foxconn as an example. Since 2024, there have been at least four strikes against cuts, arbitrary transfers, and other attacks. The two most recent ones broke out within a week: in Taiyuan, Shanxi (26 March 2025) and in Zhengzhou, Henan (1 April 2025), which is also where workers violently clashed with police during the 2022 anti-lockdown protests. The BYD and Foxconn workers are moving in the right direction. The workers can only fight back effectively against the giant capitalist monopolies through large-scale, unified struggles, which will in turn forge unity and provide a basis for even broader struggles against the regime and capitalism. A recent victory of hundreds of Chongqing truck drivers, who successfully protested against a new government policy granting two companies a monopoly over construction waste removal, gave us a glimpse of the potential of such struggles. As the US-China trade war unfolds and the contradictions of overproduction intensify, Chinese capitalism is entering turbulent waters. The pressure for the capitalists to put the cost of the trade war onto the shoulders of the working class looms large. Even if companies maintain production levels and redirect their exports to the domestic or non-US foreign markets, there will likely be cuts in prices and thus also in wages, further weakening the already miserly purchasing power of the workers. This will prepare militant fightbacks. 100 years ago, the burgeoning Chinese working class led a heroic revolutionary upsurge and built powerful unions and even soviets within a few years, months, and weeks. The period of intensifying class struggle ahead is likely to be more protracted, with more ebbs and flows. Nevertheless, the Chinese working class, now the largest in the world, will and must reclaim their revolutionary legacy and perform their class duty in the approaching world socialist revolution. https://marxist.com/china-strikes-in-byd-factories-announce-a-new-stage-in-the-class-struggle.htm Back |
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