From the Washington Post, via the Seattle Times: “Stirrings of unrest have emerged among the millions of youthful migrant workers who supply seemingly inexhaustible cheap labor for the vast expanse of factories in China’s booming Pearl River Delta, raising questions about China’s long-term future as world headquarters for low-paid outsourcing.
Stella International, a Taiwanese-owned shoe manufacturer employing 42,000 people in and around Dongguan, faced strikes last spring that turned violent. At one point, more than 500 rampaging workers sacked company facilities and severely injured a Stella executive. “We never had anything like that before,” said Jack Chiang, Stella’s chief executive officer. ”