Honda plant urges China interns not to strike
A Honda Motor Co parts plant in China has pressured school interns not to strike, after labor discontent closed all its vehicle factories in the world's biggest auto market, the South China Morning Post said on Sunday.
Managers at the No. 2 Japanese automaker distributed the letters asking the interns, who make up more than half of the workforce at the parts factory in Foshan, to stay with the company, the newspaper said.
The company asked them to stay out of a strike that began on May 22, it said, citing interviews with the 19 to 20-year-old workers in Guangdong province.
In return for not striking, the letters due on Monday promised monthly pay increases of more than 400 yuan (about $60). However, the paper quoted a full-time worker saying workers were looking for a raise of 800 to 1,000 yuan a month.
The letter, distributed on Thursday, also warned striking interns would be punished by the mainland's labor law.
China, the fastest growing economy in the world, has been hit with a string of labor disputes at foreign firms, whose migrant workers have begun to demand better pay and working conditions.
Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry said it would raise workers' salaries by 20 percent at its Foxconn unit in southern China after a 10th worker this year reportedly last week committed suicide.
A Honda spokesman on Friday said the company had no timetable for resuming production.
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