Food for thought

A recent wildcat and violent strike by Chinese workers producing mobile
phone panels was over exposure to hethane, a toxic chemical that
hospitalized 47 workers last year. The appalling thing about the article
(Toronto Star, Jan 30, 2010) was the revelation that, in 2008, 91 000
Chinese workers died in work-related accidents. Workers do have rights in
China, "but in reality, enforcement tends to be lax and it's almost always
up to the workers themselves to take matters into their own hands." If
that last part were true, there would be a minimal number of accidents.
It's the pressure from authority that prevents worker control. With these
lax laws and low wages, China, of course, is a veritable toyshop for
capitalist production and its investors. John Ayers