The level of ownership of state-owned enterprises and the bargaining ability of laid off workers in China

Abstract

After the SOE reform in 1992, many Chinese SOEs went bankrupt. Millions of workers were retrenched all over China. Workersa?? collective resistances spread throughout famous industrial cities. This seriously threatened the stability of the society and political and economic reform. However, the results of the collective resistance differed from group to group. The demands of some groups were satisfied by their factories or relevant governments, such as increasing the buy-out subsidies for workers. In contrast, some groups of workers did not get much after their resistance. The main objective of this study is to examine and explain the factors influencing the different outcomes of labor resistance.