Chinese workers are taking industrial action. A generational shift and new expectations among workers have changed labour relations. The government looks for a quick fix, to little avail, and as usual, sends in the police.

Shanghai (AsiaNews) – Fresh strikes have broken out in mainland China, this time in the affluent Yangtze River Delta, where hundreds of workers clashed with police on Monday morning trying to forcibly stop their sit-in outside a rubber factory near Shanghai. Meanwhile, a strike at a Honda-affiliated plant in the city of Foshan looks set to continue for a third day. The strike, involving more than 250 of the 300 workers at the Foshan Fengfu Autoparts plant, brought in heavy police deployment.

Demonstrators said they were inspired by the two-week strike by fellow workers in the manufacturing sector, which yielded a 500-yuan pay raise.

Workers, in addition to this raise, want their union representative removed, saying that he is management and thus cannot be a trade union official.

In China, trade unions exist but they are under tight party, hence, government control.

Geoffrey Crothall, a spokesman for the Hong Kong-based group China Labour Bulletin, said the presence of police and clashes with workers have become part of the ongoing social confrontation.

“There has definitely been an upsurge in worker discontent and activism this year," he said. "It isn't just in southern China. We are seeing it in central provinces and now in the Yangtze River Delta. And it is not just the young—middle-aged workers are now beginning to say ‘enough is enough, give us our due’."

He explained that worker activism tended to come in waves. There was a big surge in 2008 but things went relatively quiet last year due to the economic downturn.

“As things begin to improve and orders are now starting to pick up again, workers are quite rightly wanting their fair share of the profits. As long as workers are being paid ridiculously low wages that can't even provide basic subsistence living costs, then they are going to start standing up for themselves.”

The central government, which fears social protests as the only force with the potential to overthrow the Communist Party, has dealt with the problem with half-hearted measures.

For instance, for the past four weeks the People’s Daily has published blistering articles against company managers, urging them to respond positively to workers’ just demands. However, the authorities do not allow free trade unions and usually crack down on anyone trying to oppose companies’ excessive power.

Following events in Honda and Foxconn (where 13 employees committed suicide), things appear to be getting worse. Under the circumstances, the government has decided to use force.

What is more, in addition to police deployment in plants affected by strikes, reports are coming in of violence inside factories.

Employees at Taiwan-owned KOK International in Kunshan (Jiangsu) have complained for example about indiscriminate violence against them by so-called “security agents”, involved in trying to stop protests inside the plant (pictured).