Activities of Paul MURPHY related to 2010/2301(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION EU and China: unbalanced trade?
Amendments (6)
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes the competition between different social systems resulting from the opening up of the world market; notes a rise in the level of informal work in urban areas as well as violations of the principles of decent work despite the existence of a legislative framework governing employment conditions; notes better access to the employment market and a fall in rural unemployment as a result of the opening up of the Chinese economythat the opening up of the Chinese economy to international capitalism has seen a huge shift in wealth from labour to capital; notes that from 1983 to 2005 the share of GDP going to wages has shifted from 57% to 37% despite increases in labour productivity of close to 10% per annum;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the impact which China, as the biggest exporting country, has on the world economy and the responsibility which this entails to comply with minimum social standards; welcomnotes the efforts madeintroduction of legislation by Chinese central and local government in this area; however, also notes the widespread lack of compliance with these regulations and the relaxed enforcement of these regulations by the authorities; emphasises the importance of a comprehensive law on social protection and health care and strict monitoring of compliance with legislation on employment conditions by genuinely independent and democratic trade unions; underlines the importance of compliance with International Labour Organisation rules and respect for the right to freely form trade unions; calls upon EU-based companies operating in China to fully comply with minimum social standards and to allow genuinely independent and democratic trade unions operate and be given full bargaining rights in their companies;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that the Chinese population is getting older and that the seemingly endless growth in the available workforce, in particular lower-skilled workers, appears to be drying up; notesregime and large multinational corporations based in China are using the threat a shift in trade from China to other South-East Asian countries is taking place as a result of potential cost advantages; calls, therefore, on the Commission to introduce an integrated European policy for the South-East Asia regionof relocation to other countries in an attempt to keep Chinese workers’ wages low; notes that in 2009 14.4% of workers experience unpaid wages;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that European direct foreign -based big businvestment in China is not having any measurably negative impact on employment in Europe, but, on the contrary, is having a positive effect on employment in the European branches of the companies concerned.s attempts to use the existence of low wages in China to drive down pay and conditions for European based workers in a ‘race to the bottom’; calls for international solidarity and action by the international trade union movement to cut across this tactic and to fight for decent pay and conditions for all workers;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Expresses full support to Chinese workers in their struggle for decent pay and working conditions as well as the right to found grassroots independent trade unions democratically founded and controlled from below by workers;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Notes the increased clampdown on democratic rights by the Chinese regime in recent months including the jailing and persecution of trade unionists.