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China's communist leaders, who have ruled since the 1949 revolution, are acutely aware of the power of worker unity given their own origins in the labor movements of the early 20th century. Fearing challenges to their own hold on power, they ban unauthorized organizations and public dissent by labor or otherwise. Those who violate those bans face harassment and prosecution. But the authorities have long tolerated limited, local protests by workers unhappy over wages or other issues, perhaps recognizing the need for an outlet for such frustrations. In an unusually frank commentary Wednesday, the People's Daily exhorted the government-affiliated labor umbrella, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, to do a better job as a mediator. "Labor relations are increasingly complex and important today, but unions lack the talent needed to gain workers' trust and do their jobs well," it said. "There is no shortage of enthusiastic, diligent cadres but there is a lack of professional personnel qualified to deal with new challenges and tasks." Labor disputes gained greater public attention in China following an outcry recently over 11 suicides and three suicide attempts
-- mostly by jumping off tall buildings -- at Taiwan's Foxconn Technology Group, a contract manufacturer in China of iPhones and other name-brand electronics. Labor activists accuse Foxconn of having a rigid management style, an excessively fast assembly line and forced overwork. The company denies the allegations, but has announced two raises for its Chinese workers that will boost monthly wages by nearly two thirds. Minimum wages are due to rise between 15 percent to 20 percent across the country this year, and shortages of skilled labor in some areas will put further pressure on employers struggling to contain costs, UBS economist Tao Wang wrote in a report this week. While the latest strikes have drawn open acknowledgement of the need for better management of labor relations, China's leaders are unlikely to allow trade unions
-- or any other group -- to gain much influence, said Zhou Xiaozheng, a well-known sociologist and professor at Renmin University. "It's hardly possible for labor unions to be effective, and for the party it is absolutely taboo," Zhou said. "No group can represent our people, except the Communist Party."
[Associated
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