Industrial experts say multinational auto companies need to treat their Chinese workers fairly to sustain development on the Chinese market, now the world's largest auto market.
"Workers' payments should be linked to the company's growth," Wang Hongjun, a senior technician with FAW-Volkswagen, told Xinhua.
Wang said if workers receive poor payment from companies that saw year-on-year profit surges, their "psychological imbalance" would erode their morale, resulting in less enthusiasm at work and reduced willingness to build better products.
China's auto sales and production both expanded more than 40 percent last year, but workers' salaries grew only by 9.1 percent, said Ge Baoshan, an expert in auto economics studies and a professor with Jilin University.
"Chinese workers are not only filing complaints against low salaries, they are also more aware they have not enjoyed the benefit from the boom in the car industry," said Ge Baoshan.
Ge said average payment for a blue-collar Chinese worker at an auto plant is less than 10 yuan (1.47 U.S. dollars) an hour, whereas their U.S. counterpart can earn as much as 50 U.S. dollars an hour, the ratio being 1 against 35.
Japanese automakers Honda and Toyota both have experienced continuous strikes due to low wages by workers in recent months, causing work disruptions and pressure for higher pay.
"Traditionally, Chinese workers are not very sensitive to self-interest protections. But from the series of strikes that happened at many supplier plants of multinational car companies, Chinese workers are becoming more conscious of their rights," Wang said.
Workers' salaries only account for a fairly small portion of the final cost of automobiles, compared to the business incomes of a car company, Wang said.
Wang noted that companies should focus on their long-term development and "distribute income according to work and offer fair payment and necessary training", by which workers would be motivated to provide better on-the-job performance for companies.
