Definitions
Decent work refers to “opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity” (ILO 1999: 3). This official description was provided by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 1999 during its 87th International Labour Conference. This important concept signals a global effort to promote a fundamental dimension of the quality of life that will significantly contribute to the sustainable development (Anker et al. 2003), as decent work reflects the generation of quality employment with the conditions underpinning workers’ rights and their voice in the community by prioritizing the ILO’s tripartite constituency that includes governments, employers, and trade unions (Burchell et al. 2014). Following the official launch of the Decent Work Agenda, one stream of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG8) is particularly advocated to promote the four core labor standards – freedom from...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
Anker R, Chernyshev I, Egger P, Mehran F (2003) Measuring decent work with statistical indicators. Int Labour Rev 142(3):147–178
Ban X (2019) Task-based employment in gig economy and labor regulation. Law Rev 215:106–118
Bescond D, Chataignier A, Mehran F (2003) Seven indicators to measure decent work: an international comparison. Int Labour Rev 142(3):179–212
Burchell B, Sehnbruch K, Piasna A, Agloni N (2014) The quality of employment and decent work: definitions, methodologies, and ongoing debates. Camb J Econ 38(2):459–477
Cao X, Meng Q (2017) Dockworkers’ resistance and union reform within China’s globalised seaport industry. Globalizations 14(2):272–284
Chan C (2010) The challenge of labour in China: strikes and the changing labour regime in global factories. Routledge, London
Chang K, Brown W (2013) The transition from individual to collective labour relations in China. Ind Relat J 44(2):102–121
Chen C (2014) On the legal policy support system for the realization of decent work. J Sichuan Univ 193(4):155–160
Chen S, Jiang W, Ma Y (2020) Decent work in a transition economy: an empirical study of employees in China. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.119947
China Labour Bulletin (2016) Strikes and protests by China’s workers soar to record heights in 2015. http://www.clb.org.hk/en/content/strikes-and-protests-china%E2%80%99s-workers-soar-record-heights-2015. Accessed March 2020
Clarke S (2005) Post-socialist trade unions: China and Russia. Ind Relat J 36(1):2–18
Clarke S, Lee CH, Li Q (2004) Collective consultation and industrial relations in China. Br J Ind Relat 42(2):255–281
Cooke FL (2011) Labour market disparities and inequalities. In: Sheldon P, Kim S, Li Y, Warner M (eds) China’s changing workplace: dynamism, diversity and disparity. Routledge, London, pp 259–276
Cooke FL (2016) Employment relations in China. In: Bamber G, Lansbury R, Wailes N, Wright C (eds) International & comparative employment relations, 6th edn. Sage, London, pp 291–315
Cooke FL, Xu J, Bian H (2019) The prospect of decent work, decent industrial relations and decent social relations in China: towards a multi-level and multi-disciplinary approach. Int J Hum Resour Manag 30(1):122–155
Dai L, Zhang L (2010) Female employment and decent work. Econ Res Guid 76(2):59–60
Dang Z, Liu D (2019) Research on the realization of decent work for employees in online service platform in China. J Beijing Fed Trade Unions Cadre College 34(4):10–15
Friedman E (2012) Getting through the hard times together? Chinese workers and unions respond to the economic crisis. J Ind Relat 54(4):459–485
Friedman E, Lee CK (2010) Remaking the world of Chinese labour: a 30-year retrospective. Br J Ind Relat 48(3):507–533
Gao H, Lin Y, Ma Y (2016) Sex discrimination and female top managers: evidence from China. J Bus Ethics 138(4):683–702
Ghai D (2003) Decent work: concept and indicators. Int Labour Rev 142(2):113–145
Hannan K (2008) China: migrant workers want ‘decent work’. Copenhagen J Asian Stud 26(2):60–81
He G, Wu X (2017) Marketization, occupational segregation, and gender earnings inequality in urban China. Soc Sci Res 65:96–111
He T, Liu X, Li H (2012) Decent work problems and countermeasures of the young rural migrant workers. J Shanxi Univ 35(2):55–59
Hu X (2018) Current situation and issues of labour rights protection for platform workers. Soc Sci 252(4):119–124
Hyman R (2001) Understanding European trade unionism: between market, class and society. Sage, London
ILO (1999) Decent work. Report of the Director-General to the 87th Session of the International Labour Conference. Geneva
ILO (2013) Decent work indicators: Guidelines for producers and users of statistical and legal framework indicators. ILO Manual, second version. Geneva
ILO (2016) China decent work country programme 2016–2020. International Labour Organization, Geneva
Jiang Y (2011) Gender segregation of teacher profession from an international perspective. J China Women’s Univ 4:41–46
Knight J, Yueh L (2009) Segmentation or competition in China’s urban labour market? Camb J Econ 33:79–94
Kuruvilla S (2006) Social dialogue for decent work. In: Ghai D (ed) Decent work, objectives and strategies. International Institute for Labour Studies, Geneva, pp 175–215
Lee CH, Brown W, Wen X (2016) What sort of collective bargaining is emerging in China? Br J Ind Relat 54(1):214–236
Li J, Wu B, Morgan J (2015) Employment equality in China’s universities: perceptions of ‘decent work ‘among university teachers in Beijing. In: Wu B, Morgan J (eds) Chinese higher education reform and social justice. Routledge, London, pp 52–65
Liang W, Hu S, Xie R (2019) Current situation and influencing factors of occupational safety and health for migrant workers in informal employment. J Northwest A&F Univ Soc Sci Edit 19(2):45–56
Liu M (2010) Union Organizing in China: still a monolithic labor movement? Ind Labor Relat Rev 64(1):30–52
Liu M (2011) Where there are workers, there should be trade unions: union organizing in the era of growing informal employment. In: Kuruvilla S, Lee CK, Gallagher M (eds) From iron rice bowl to informalization. ILR Press, Ithaca, pp 157–172
Lyddon D, Cao X, Meng Q, Lu J (2015) A strike of ‘unorganised’ workers in a Chinese car factory: the Nanhai Honda events of 2010. Ind Relat J 46(2):134–152
Ma Y, Zhang H (2019) Development of the sharing economy in China: challenges and lessons. In: Innovation, economic development, and intellectual property in India and China. Springer, Singapore, pp 467–484
Martin R (1989) Trade unionism: purposes and forms. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Meng H, Wang Z, Yang HJ, Hu W (2015) The measurement of decent work level and its spatial variation in China. Areal Res Dev 34:3): 1–3): 6
National Bureau of Statistics (2019) Rural migrant worker survey report 2018, 29 September 2019. http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/zxfb/201904/t20190429_1662268.html. Accessed 20 March 2020
Peng X, Gui J, Fei X (2018a) Study on the measure, factor analysis and difference of decent labor level in China. J Anyang Inst Technol 17(3):44–50
Peng X, Zhang X, Dong Y (2018b) Study on social integration of rural labour migration and its influencing factors: based on the perspective of decent work. J Chongqing Univ Technol (Soc Sci) 6:89–99
Pringle T (2011) Trade unions in China: The challenge of labour unrest. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis
Pringle T (2015) Labour under threat: The rise and (possible) fall of “collective bargaining” in Guangdong. International Union Rights 22(4):3–5
Rai SM, Brown BD, Ruwanpura KN (2019) SDG 8: decent work and economic growth–a gendered analysis. World Dev 113:368–380
Ren X, Wang L (2019) Countermeasures for promoting migrant workers to achieve higher quality employment from the perspective of decent work. J Huebei Softw Inst 21(4):60–64
Shang Y (2019) Research on labor rights protection of rural migrant workers of the new generation. Shandong Trade Unions Tribune 25(5):39–45
Shi L (2008) Rural migrant workers in China: scenario, challenges and public policy. ILO, Geneva
Shi H (2017) The legislative protection of equal employment right. J Jining Univ 38(1):88–96
Song Y (2016) Hukou-based labour market discrimination and ownership structure in urban China. Urban Stud 53(8):1657–1673
Sun W (2020) Hukou system, migration pattern and rural migrant identities. In: Latham K (ed) Routledge handbook of Chinese culture and society. Routledge, London
Taylor R (2011) China’s labour legislation: implications for competitiveness. Asia Pac Bus Rev 17(4):493–510
Vallas S, Schor JB (2020) What do platforms do? Understanding the gig economy. Annu Rev Sociol 46 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-121919-054857
Wang Y (2019) A study of the labor rights and interests protection of net contract workers of the shared economy platform. J China Univ Labor Relat 33(6):77–87
Webster E, Joynt K, Sefalafala T (2016) Informalization and decent work: labour’s challenge. Prog Dev Stud 16(2):203–218
Woodhams C, Lupton B, Xian H (2009) The persistence of gender discrimination in China–evidence from recruitment advertisements. Int J Hum Resour Manag 20(10):2084–2109
Wu Q, Zhang H, Li Z, Liu K (2019) Labor control in the gig economy: evidence from Uber in China. J Ind Relat 61(4):574–596
Xiao Y, Bian Y (2018) The influence of hukou and college education in China’s labour market. Urban Stud 55(7):1504–1524
Xie C (2014) Ways for the new generation peasant workers to realize decent work. J Harbin Univ 35(2):25–27
Xinhua News (2020) China to strengthen legal aid for migrant workers. 30 April 2020. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-04/30/c_139021364.htm. Accessed 02 May 2020
Xu F (2019) Labor regime behind the structuring of migrant workers. Zhejiang Soc Sci 2:74–85
Yan Y, Lin L, Qing T, Zhao N (2019) An integrative literature review and future direct of decent work. Hum Resour Dev China 36(11):93–109
Zhao R, Zhao Y (2018) The gender pension gap in China. Fem Econ 24(2):218–239
Acknowledgments
The research was supported in part by Leverhulme International Network grant (IN-2015-053) “Collective pay determination and the changing labour relations in globalised China.”
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Cao, X. (2020). Decent Work in China. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Wall, T. (eds) Decent Work and Economic Growth. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71058-7_97-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71058-7_97-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71058-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71058-7
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences