[Close contact with the staff and information about the grassroots work of the trade union]

Original title: "Let workers get closer to the trade union"

Worker's Daily - Huang Shiqiang, reporter of China Industrial Network

Recently, Wistron Zitong (Chongqing) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Wistron) and Xushuo Technology (Chongqing) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Xushuo Company) set up a preparatory group for the trade union of the enterprise at the same time, which is another step towards the completion of the election of the trade union and the formal establishment of the trade union.

"Seeing that enterprises are willing to join the trade union shows that our work has achieved results and we are very happy." This is the common aspiration of Li Yingmin, the leader of the Chongqing based working group of the All China Federation of Trade Unions, Xie Shaowei and Wang Gengjie, members of the working group. Since July, Chongqing has been experiencing high temperatures for several days, and the urgency and difficulty of squatting work have also tested the working group. New progress has been made in the establishment of the two enterprises, which gives great comfort to the working group.

With enthusiasm

Chongqing's summer comes earlier than other cities in China. In May, the temperature of Chongqing, the "stove" city, began to rise.

On May 17, the working group arrived in Chongqing and stationed in Liangjiang New Area to carry out work. "We are full of energy when we think of being able to work together with trade union cadres at all levels and front-line workers in Chongqing." Li Yingmin doesn't care about the high temperature at all, and the enthusiasm in her words is as high as the outdoor temperature.

Promote the special research on the construction of non-public enterprises and new forms of employment of workers - this is the main content of the working group's work. How to promote the work of the Association? What is the reason why there was no association before? What is the effective way to investigate the new employment pattern of workers? How to solve the problems encountered in the research process... Although the working group is extremely urgent to carry out the work, a series of problems make them realize: work is urgent!

Therefore, clarifying ideas, setting goals, getting familiar with the situation, and formulating measures became the starting steps of the working group. The full cooperation of Chongqing Federation of Trade Unions, Liangjiang New Area Federation of Trade Unions, and the Free Trade Port Trade Union Federation also injected impetus into the work of the working group.

Li Yingmin told the reporter that in the last three months of on-site work, the working group held discussions with more than 10 trade union organizations at all levels, investigated and visited more than 40 enterprises and industrial parks, and communicated with nearly 200 enterprise and industrial park managers and front-line workers. "Either on the site or on the way to visit the survey."

Willing to establish the association

Since 2014, the output of notebook computers in Chongqing has ranked first in the world for seven consecutive years, and the electronic information industry has become the "first power" of Chongqing's industrial growth. Last year, the output of Chongqing's notebook computers reached a new high, exceeding 70 million sets, and the output value exceeded 300 billion yuan for the first time. Behind this series of figures, there are no less than 100000 industrial workers. How to absorb such a large group of industrial workers into trade union organizations has become a top priority.

"We will promote the establishment of trade unions between the two notebook enterprises," said Li Yingmin, who set the goal when the working group went to Chongqing.

However, the initial progress was not smooth. "The enterprise already has a department dedicated to employee welfare. Why should we establish a labor union?" Weichuang Company and Xushuo Company were two enterprises selected by the working group around the goal, and their leaders expressed the same doubts.

After the first round of research, the working group realized that the lack of understanding of Chinese trade union organizations led to cognitive bias, which was the key to hinder the establishment of trade unions in notebook enterprises. On May 28, the working group participated in the inaugural meeting of the trade union of Chongqing Yibao Electronic Device Co., Ltd., which is currently the most employed laptop enterprise in Chongqing, with about 30000 permanent employees. The conference made the working group quickly find a way to break the situation: let the heads of enterprises and front-line workers fully understand the Chinese trade unions first, and let them see the role played by the trade union organizations of enterprises that have established trade unions.

One month later, a trade union special presentation was held in Wistron. "What is the basic situation of the trade union in China? Why should the enterprise establish a trade union? What rights and interests do employees enjoy when joining the trade union?" Wang Gengjie made a profound and simple speech about the basic situation of the trade union in China, the practical problems that enterprises can solve when establishing a trade union, the composition of trade union funds, and the advantages of workers joining the trade union.

"In order to make the propaganda content really reach the heart of the enterprise management and front-line workers, we also tried our ingenuity to find the entry point from the perspective of the audience, instead of talking about the big truth, we broke the problem and explained it in pieces." Wang Gengjie told reporters that the working group stayed up all night for several times and revised it many times for the purpose of this propaganda.

On July 15, Foxconn Technology Group Chongqing Science Park welcomed a group of special guests, who were more than 50 representatives from non-public enterprises such as more than 20 laptops in all districts and counties of Chongqing. On this day, the 2021 Promotion Meeting for the Construction of Chongqing Private Enterprise Association, such as Chongqing Pen Electronics, was held, and the labor union special speech carefully prepared by the working group was extended to a wider group. The principals of Wistron and Xushuo were also among the participants. Before the meeting, they visited and learned about the work of the trade union of Foxconn Chongqing Science Park. "Through on-site visits to Foxconn's trade union positions and workers' homes, we have deepened our understanding of trade union organizations, and have a deeper feeling and touch on the role of trade unions," said the heads of the two enterprises.

The results of the promotion meeting were immediately apparent. Only one week later, the trade union preparatory group of Wistron and Xushuo was established at the same time.

Responsibility and mission

On May 12, at the grassroots work conference of the National Trade Union, the All China Federation of Trade Unions clearly proposed that "the National Trade Union will carry out concentrated action for workers in new employment forms to join the trade union in 2021". Five days later, the working group went to Chongqing with this responsibility and mission.

"According to the instructions of the Party Group of the General Assembly and the Secretariat on the 'Special Research on Workers in New Employment Forms', we went to platform enterprises such as Lulema, Huolala, Jingdong Logistics, Zhongtong, Shentong, and other key enterprises with concentrated workers in new employment forms to conduct research and submit special research reports." Li Yingmin introduced.

Xie Shaowei said that in his contact with these front-line workers, his deepest feeling was "the desire of workers for trade union organization".

"I hope my son can join the labor union in the future and enjoy a better working and living environment than I do." Xie Shaowei has been deeply impressed by the words of Fang Yiping, a sorting worker of Shentong Express. On that day, the working group talked a lot with Fang Yiping, from the labor contract to working hours, from wages to insurance benefits, and finally to the trade union. Fang Yiping said that although he knew that the company was preparing to establish a trade union, he was not clear about what the trade union could do for employees and what role it could play. Xie Shaowei gave him a detailed introduction.

In addition, the voice of two young platform truck drivers also impressed the working group. They told the working group that they could earn about 7000 yuan a month by registering their own vehicles to receive orders from multiple logistics platforms. However, the working hours are not fixed, and work is done at any time, day or night. There is no labor contract, no overtime pay, no five insurances, no leave and other guarantees. Once there are problems such as cargo compensation, traffic accidents and transportation disputes in the process of receiving orders, they often have to fight alone and do not know how to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests.

"If you join the labor union, these problems can be solved." The words of the working group made the two truck drivers happy. "With the increasing number of workers in new employment forms, attracting these most ordinary and grass-roots workers to the 'trade union family', enhancing their sense of gain, happiness and security, has become the responsibility and mission of the trade union people, including me," Xie Shaowei wrote in his diary of squatting.

"The root of the trade union lies in the workers, the blood lies in the workers, and the strength lies in the workers." Li Yingmin said that the pace of the working group is still going on, and it will speed up. It will invest in the work of building the grassroots organization with more enthusiasm, more high morale, and more fighting spirit, "to make the workers closer to the trade union".