Trade Unions in Singapore and China
Compare and contrast trade unions in Singapore and China. Do you agree with Barr (2000, p.481) and Taylor and Qi Li (2007) that the ‘trade unions’ in these two countries are not really trade unions at all? Justify your answer.
Introduction
With all their faults, trade unions have done more for humanity than any other organization of men that ever existed. They have done more for decency, for honesty, for education, for the betterment of the race, for the developing of character in men, than any other association of men (Darrow 2009). However, this is not the case in Singapore and China. Michael D. Barr (2000, p.481) as well as Bill Taylor and Qi Li (2007) claimed that the ‘trade unions’ in these two countries are not really trade unions at all but merely a government organ, reflecting the fact that the NTUC and ACFTU is a branch of the government, defending the government’s interests. This essay will begin by individually examining the trade unions in Singapore and China followed by a comparison between trade unions in both countries, and finally provide a justified stand to the argument of whether the ‘trade unions’ in these two countries are not really trade unions at all.
Trade Unions in Singapore
Best known for ‘tripartism’ or close relationships between government, business and trade unions, Singapore’s industrial relations system comprises of the People’s Action Party (PAP), National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) representing the government, employees and employers respectively (refer to Appendix).
NTUC was created in 1961 when the Singapore Trades Union Congress (STUC), which had backed the PAP in its successful drive for self-government, split into the pro-PAP NTUC and the leftist Singapore Association of Trade Unions (SATU). The SATU collapsed in 1963 following the government 's detention of its leaders during Operation Coldstore and its subsequence official deregistration on November 13,
Introduction
With all their faults, trade unions have done more for humanity than any other organization of men that ever existed. They have done more for decency, for honesty, for education, for the betterment of the race, for the developing of character in men, than any other association of men (Darrow 2009). However, this is not the case in Singapore and China. Michael D. Barr (2000, p.481) as well as Bill Taylor and Qi Li (2007) claimed that the ‘trade unions’ in these two countries are not really trade unions at all but merely a government organ, reflecting the fact that the NTUC and ACFTU is a branch of the government, defending the government’s interests. This essay will begin by individually examining the trade unions in Singapore and China followed by a comparison between trade unions in both countries, and finally provide a justified stand to the argument of whether the ‘trade unions’ in these two countries are not really trade unions at all.
Trade Unions in Singapore
Best known for ‘tripartism’ or close relationships between government, business and trade unions, Singapore’s industrial relations system comprises of the People’s Action Party (PAP), National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) representing the government, employees and employers respectively (refer to Appendix).
NTUC was created in 1961 when the Singapore Trades Union Congress (STUC), which had backed the PAP in its successful drive for self-government, split into the pro-PAP NTUC and the leftist Singapore Association of Trade Unions (SATU). The SATU collapsed in 1963 following the government 's detention of its leaders during Operation Coldstore and its subsequence official deregistration on November 13,
References: ACFTU, A Brief Introduction of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), 2007, accessed on 09/02/2010 at Barr, M Chan, A. & Senser, R. A. 1997, ‘China’s Troubled Workers’, Foreign Affairs 76(2): pp. 104-117. Clarence Darrow Quote, 2009, accessed on 15/02/2010 at Lee, L Li, Q. 2000, ‘Transition of Labor Relations in Chinese State-owned Enterprises: Case Studies of a Process Dominated by Government’, PhD dissertation, City University of Hong Kong. Ngaim, T NTUC Online, 2009, accessed on 11/02/2010 at Rosa, L Sargeson, S. 1999, Reworking China’s Proletariat, London: Macmillan, pp. 40-41 Speech, Text Archival & Retrieval System, accessed on 17/02/2010 at Tan, C. H. 2007, Employment Relations in Singapore, 5th ed, Singapore: Pearson Prentice Hall. Taylor, B. & Qi Li, 2007, ‘Is the ACFTU a union and does it matter?’, Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 49, no.5, pp. 701-715.