Labour and the Green Transition

This session aims to contribute to bigger debates on informalization (or formalization) of labor, corporate control strategies and worker resistance, as well as the state’s regulatory intent and capacity. Across state-owned, foreign-invested and privately-owned enterprises, the Chinese party-state has vastly expanded its control to achieve national objectives. In the summer of 2021, various ministries joined hands to introduce a series of guidelines to strengthen legal and social rights for “gig workers.” The All-China Federation of Trade Unions has already reported unionization efforts in e-commerce retailers and tech giants. The evolution of the state, capital and labor relations in China’s digital economy yet requires in-depth historical-sociological analysis. How does flexible employment impact workers’ incomes, job security and the social reproduction of labor power? What is the effect of “platformization” or platform-based employment on labor relations, legal mobilization and collective protests?

In a wider socio-political context, the Beijing leadership is promoting employment security, skill training (e.g., through internship and apprenticeship programs), and inclusive urbanization for sustainable development. However, migrant informal workers are doubly trapped in non-standard employment relations and an unequal citizenship regime segmented by rural/urban household registration status. Whereas grassroots worker organizations, democratic trade unions and/or political parties are actively campaigning for higher labor standards in other countries, by contrast, the Chinese authorities have tightened grips over activist groups, media and education. How to foster cooperation between academics and the concerned public to achieve labor and social justice in the contemporary times?