Workers at one of China’s largest shoe manufacturers have gone on strike in a dispute over housing fund payments, highlighting the increasing focus of the country’s ageing workforce on the protection of social security and other benefits.
The strike at a factory employing about 5,000 people that is owned by Stella International Holdings, which supplies Nike, Timberland and other international brands, erupted on Sunday after local government officials in the southern province of Guangdong issued new regulations governing worker drawdowns of housing funds.
According to workers and labour rights activists the factory in the manufacturing centre of Dongguan failed to pay the housing allowance required under Chinese law, which can range from 5 per cent to 20 per cent of workers’ monthly incomes.