A Honda Motor Co parts plant in China has pressured school interns not to strike, after labor discontent closed all its vehicle factories in the world’s biggest auto market, the South China Morning Post reported yesterday.
Managers at the No. 2 Japanese automaker distributed the letter asking the interns, who make up more than half of the workforce at the parts factory in Foshan, to stay with the company, the newspaper said.
The company asked them to not take part in a strike that began on May 22, it said, citing interviews with the 19 to 20-year-old workers in Guangdong Province.
In return for not striking, the company promised monthly pay increases of more than 400 yuan (about US$60). However, the paper quoted a full-time employee saying workers were looking for a raise of 800 to 1,000 yuan a month.
The letter, distributed on Thursday last week, also warned striking interns that action would be taken against those striking in accordance with China’s labor law.
China, the fastest growing economy in the world, has been hit with a string of labor disputes at foreign firms, where migrant workers have begun to demand better pay and working conditions.
Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry (鴻海精密) said it would raise workers’ salaries by 20 percent at its Foxconn (富士康) unit in southern China after a 10th worker this year committed suicide last week.
A Honda spokesman on Friday said the company had no timetable for the resumption of production.
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