economy - Trade unions on China: it is not fair

In a largely unnoticed report on the developments in the textile industry, Stitched Up, the international organization of trade union ICFTU addresses the rising competition from China and its effect on the rest of the world. Main argument: it is not fair. One of the reasons for the report is the upcoming WTO-meeting in Hong Kong. The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) cooperated with the major association of textile employers to compose the report, that repeats the problems the end of the textile quota have mainly caused for other developing countries, who cannot compete with the Chinese prices that are 10 to 50 percent lower on average. The report largely blames poorer labor conditions and compensation - compared to other low-cost countries - for the lower prices, but fails to come with a convincing proof. The ICFTU has all but ignored China since 1989 and mainly calls upon the larger brands to only deal with companies who have decent labor conditions. The report fails to address fast changing realities in China and offers no alternatives over the obligatory calls for free trade unions. While real trade unions are still banned in China, non-governmental organizations have increased activities over de past years. On a macro-level the new Chinese government is addressing the low wages at the country side and pushes towards improvements that would have been unthinkable in the 1990s and the beginning of the 21th century. Books on textile