The recent labour unrest and industrial action spreading across China have revolved around remuneration and worker rights in the country, but the implications are global. Attempted employee suicides at Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer of Apple products, led to a 30% pay raise for its workers. Strikes recently forced Honda to suspend production at some assembly plants in Guangzhou.
Dr. Nicholas Bequelin and Phelim Kine of Human Rights Watch are well positioned to discuss the emergent regulatory and worker rights issues facing China. What implications do they have for global and Indian industry? How should global and Indian companies re-assess their China strategies given the trend of rising wages and demanding workers? How much will this diversify global manufacturing outside of China, and what opportunity does this present for India?