Who Dumped the Nokia Dongguan Workers?

Who Dumped the Nokia Dongguan Workers?

On 19 November 2013, 3000 workers at a Nokia factory in southern China went on strike after the company terminated the contracts of 59 employees for failing to return to work.

Hundreds of employees stopped work, complaining of changes, in the wake of Nokia's sale of its mobile phones business  to U.S. software  giant Microsoft. The striking workers said they were being forced to sign new contracts with worse terms of employment.

This Chinese report interviewed several workers activists who had helped to organize the strike. They are mainly post 1980s or 1990s generation. Although these workers are still “peasants” by household registration, they no longer do what their parents did: work hard to save money and finally return to the countryside. Rather they want to stay and live in cities, and become recognized through their own struggle and efforts.

These workers themselves maintain a high level of skill and therefore have no problem finding a job after leaving Nokia. They fought the management and are now filing a lawsuit against their former employer in order to assert their own rights. Getting compensation only comes second. In fact, the time and effort required by a litigation costs much much more than that needed to find a job.

For the original Chinese report, please see:  世纪并购背后:谁在抛弃东莞诺基亚员工

For the earlier report on the strike, please see: Chinese Nokia workers pledge to continue strike , Strikes and sit-ins at Chinese Nokia factory