Foxconn union election described as revamp

The ongoing election of Foxconn's labor union is more like a revamp of existing mechanisms than a landmark reform, according to sources from both city authorities and the company, the world's largest electronics manufacturer.

With calls for the union to play a greater role to protect workers at the firm, notorious in recent years for suicides among its staff, the election is being keenly watched.

Gu Cheng, head of the grass-roots organization construction department of the General Federation of the Trade Union in Shenzhen City (GFTUSC), Guangdong Province, said on Tuesday that the election, which was required by the federation in June 2012, is expected to complete in all manufacturing sections of the company's plants by July.

"Foxconn has established a detailed program on the election process under the instruction of the federation. Every process, from candidate election, public notification to final vote, has been clearly regulated subject to Chinese laws and regulations," said Gu.

Foxconn Technology Group on Monday also issued a statement, saying the elections have been in place since 2008 and there is no change to the process.

"The company's union employee representative elections, based on the union's electoral process and in line with China labor union laws, were rolled out in 2008 following the establishment of the company's first and head union organization (the 'Foxconn Federation of Labor Unions') in 2007", said the statement.

But it did mention that new improvements have been made for this round, such as "increasing the number of junior employee representatives in all committees within the union."

Wang Tongxin, vice chairman of the GFTUSC, said Foxconn's efforts to hone the construction of the labor union were highly recognized.

"Ensuring the rights and interests of workers subject to Chinese laws and regulations is just what we have been engaged in," said Wang.

According to the GFTUSC, new unions have been established in nine of the total 12 manufacturing sections of Foxconn's Shenzhen campus, and the final union federation will be elected by the unions.

The company has 1.2 million employees in the Chinese mainland. Over 400,000 of them work on the Shenzhen campus.

According to the company's election program exclusively provided to Xinhua by the GFTUSC, a special team is organized under the unions to be responsible for the election.

The team, after discussing with all workers, will anonymously elect candidate members of the union, and the candidate list will be circulated for public opinions for five working days. The union panel will be eventually elected among the candidates.

The number of grass-roots members in the union of each manufacturing section should not be less than three, according to the program.

The union election conditions in other campuses are not included in the program.

Workers at the Shenzhen campus have left for the Spring Festival holidays starting Tuesday, and their comments on the election are not immediately available.

Over the past couple of years, Foxconn has become notorious following a series of suicides among its workers in the Chinese mainland, sweatshop accusations, as well as illegal hiring of underage interns in a plant in Yantai, Shandong Province. The scandals have prompted calls for a stronger union to protect workers' rights and interests