Knowledge Workers in Contemporary China by Yao Jianhua;

Author:Yao, Jianhua;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

The Inner Division of the Working Class

As aforementioned, Chinese editors are experiencing serious loss of the privileges they once enjoyed as the “master” of the country in the work-unit system. Due to the imbalance between labor supply and demand, their bargaining power has also significantly declined. They have to work long hours for relatively low wages, and they are always reminded that many people are waiting to take their jobs. On the contrary, the leaders in the workplaces have enjoyed growing decision-making power over the distribution of bonuses for editors, the allocation of their social welfare benefits, and the management of human resources.

In addition to the differences between media workers and leaders, there is also a sharp rift among editors themselves. For example, based on my interviews conducted in both the Shanghai Science and Technology Publishing House and in the Shanghai Education Publishing House, there is a growing tension between senior and junior editors. Compared with senior editors, junior editors are confronted with more challenges, including signing a contract based on shorter time periods, taking more challenging work with intense work pressure, and obtaining fewer chances to get promoted, but receiving more severe financial punishment if they fail to meet their monthly workload or generate the amount of profit specified in their contracts. Therefore, the internal differences within the Chinese working class, embodied in the division between editors and leaders, as well as the inner division of editors themselves, have increased and become obvious.

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