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The labor law in question is having more temporary workers than the law allows. I don't see much issue with this because the article highlights the cause - seas

The labor law in question is having more temporary workers than the law allows. I don't see much issue with this because the article highlights the cause - seasonal fluctuations. If they overhire, the excess staff would be stuck with nothing to do. And consider the negative press any time companies announce layoffs. Excess staff aren't like machines you can just turn off and turn back on during peak seasons. Can't just create an API and invent AWS with them. There are some companies that don't fire excess staff during slow periods. Staff come in half the month for half pay. And then when things pick up, back to normal. I don't know how they'll handle health benefits though.

ajmurmann 7y ago
> I don't know how they'll handle health benefits though. Are health benefits in China provided by employers? I always understood that (anti) pattern to be mostly unique to the US, due to salary caps during WWII.
- vezycash 7y ago
  >Are health benefits in China provided by employers? I got this from the article. It's not a clear answer though Dispatch workers don’t receive benefits that full-time employees get, such as paid sick leave, paid vacations and social insurance, which provides medical, unemployment and pension coverage, according to CLW. Base wages CAN be higher for dispatch workers, and are paid by third-party firms on a short-term basis and are not employed directly by Foxconn * Social insurance is the keyword there. Might be an amount paid by company on behalf of the employee. Looks like a 401k-ish scheme.
- mlindner 7y ago
  China doesn't have rule of law in general, so any answer you get will always be qualified as things vary drastically.
- ailideex 7y ago
  South African expat in Norway here. In South Africa health care is technically provided by state but if you don't want to die or lose a limb when you go in for something minor you need private insurance which is normally provided by employer. In Norway my employer also providers supplemental insurance that provides lower wait times. So no, not unique to US really. What countries have you lived in?
  - PeterisP 7y ago
    Many countries have some sort of premium health insurance as a benefit from the employer, but that's generally a benefit in 'good jobs' that's not relevant for low-paid factory or call center workers - I mean, if someone's getting paid the legal minimum wage or close to that, they're also getting the legal minimum of benefits, not extras.
    - C1sc0cat 7y ago
      I had BUPA in the UK at a previous employer - its not actually worth it as you have to pay tax on the benefit, and if you do have a serious problem you don't get anything for it.
      - oarsinsync 7y ago
        Sounds like you had a low end plan. The BUPA plan my employer provides covers everything, from GP visits and dental care, to major surgery in private hospitals (tried and tested this range between myself and various colleagues). Significantly better than dealing with the NHS these days, as I'm able to get a GP appointment with a few hours notice, and I've witnessed someone go in with a slip disk in their back and be in surgery 30 days later (minimum period of time required to be eligible for surgery to give the disk a chance to slip back in on its own). They even give you a menu with a choice of meals during surgical recovery. The contrast is stark. Oh, and zero deductible. Everything was free, completely covered. Effectively getting the policy at a significant discount (by only paying income tax on the cost of the plan), and corporate policies are significantly better value than individual policies anyway, as the likelihood of claims (on aggregate across the entire corporation) are lower.
        C1sc0cat 7y ago
        What does it cost you on your tax coding though, its not free
      - KptMarchewa 7y ago
        In Poland it's not for major problems like cancer - which are decently covered by normal healthcare, but for regular specialist doctor visits. If I want to visit allergist, dentist or psychiatrist I can wait few months or a year for national healthcare or go next week private.
- seanmcdirmid 7y ago
  China has something approaching universal healthcare, so those are already covered by payroll taxes. Employers can provide benefits above that, which is often necessary since Chinese health benefits aren’t that great (they are capped rather than having a deductible), however I doubt factory workers would get much extra.
ClumsyPilot 7y ago
> I don't see much issue with this It's not your judgement to make - there is already a law. Besides, it's the job of the management to deal with ups and downs of supply and stocks. They are equipped to deal with it. Why should it fall on the shoulders of the worker? They have families to feed. With this endless watering down of all worker protection, we will soon be bringing Victorian workhouses.
- vezycash 7y ago
  >It's not your judgement to make You'd be right if I'd said, "This is no issue. Or there's nothing wrong with it." I prefaced the statement with, "I Don't see..." In other words, it's my own opinion on the matter - not a blanket statement on behalf of everyone, just mine. I want to believe you'd have come to the same, on your own when well rested.
earenndil 7y ago
> Can't just create an API and invent AWS with them. Actually... That sounds surprisingly doable.
- wongarsu 7y ago
  And that's how the temp agency was invented
kalleboo 7y ago
Although the article also said 20% of the workforce was college students who had to go back to school anyway - that sounds like a win-win situation

ajmurmann 7y ago

> I don't know how they'll handle health benefits though. Are health benefits in China provided by employers? I always understood that (anti) pattern to be mostly unique to the US, due to salary caps during WWII.

vezycash 7y ago
>Are health benefits in China provided by employers? I got this from the article. It's not a clear answer though Dispatch workers don’t receive benefits that full-time employees get, such as paid sick leave, paid vacations and social insurance, which provides medical, unemployment and pension coverage, according to CLW. Base wages CAN be higher for dispatch workers, and are paid by third-party firms on a short-term basis and are not employed directly by Foxconn * Social insurance is the keyword there. Might be an amount paid by company on behalf of the employee. Looks like a 401k-ish scheme.
mlindner 7y ago
China doesn't have rule of law in general, so any answer you get will always be qualified as things vary drastically.
ailideex 7y ago
South African expat in Norway here. In South Africa health care is technically provided by state but if you don't want to die or lose a limb when you go in for something minor you need private insurance which is normally provided by employer. In Norway my employer also providers supplemental insurance that provides lower wait times. So no, not unique to US really. What countries have you lived in?
- PeterisP 7y ago
  Many countries have some sort of premium health insurance as a benefit from the employer, but that's generally a benefit in 'good jobs' that's not relevant for low-paid factory or call center workers - I mean, if someone's getting paid the legal minimum wage or close to that, they're also getting the legal minimum of benefits, not extras.
  - C1sc0cat 7y ago
    I had BUPA in the UK at a previous employer - its not actually worth it as you have to pay tax on the benefit, and if you do have a serious problem you don't get anything for it.
    - oarsinsync 7y ago
      Sounds like you had a low end plan. The BUPA plan my employer provides covers everything, from GP visits and dental care, to major surgery in private hospitals (tried and tested this range between myself and various colleagues). Significantly better than dealing with the NHS these days, as I'm able to get a GP appointment with a few hours notice, and I've witnessed someone go in with a slip disk in their back and be in surgery 30 days later (minimum period of time required to be eligible for surgery to give the disk a chance to slip back in on its own). They even give you a menu with a choice of meals during surgical recovery. The contrast is stark. Oh, and zero deductible. Everything was free, completely covered. Effectively getting the policy at a significant discount (by only paying income tax on the cost of the plan), and corporate policies are significantly better value than individual policies anyway, as the likelihood of claims (on aggregate across the entire corporation) are lower.
      - C1sc0cat 7y ago
        What does it cost you on your tax coding though, its not free
    - KptMarchewa 7y ago
      In Poland it's not for major problems like cancer - which are decently covered by normal healthcare, but for regular specialist doctor visits. If I want to visit allergist, dentist or psychiatrist I can wait few months or a year for national healthcare or go next week private.
seanmcdirmid 7y ago
China has something approaching universal healthcare, so those are already covered by payroll taxes. Employers can provide benefits above that, which is often necessary since Chinese health benefits aren’t that great (they are capped rather than having a deductible), however I doubt factory workers would get much extra.

ClumsyPilot 7y ago

> I don't see much issue with this It's not your judgement to make - there is already a law. Besides, it's the job of the management to deal with ups and downs of supply and stocks. They are equipped to deal with it. Why should it fall on the shoulders of the worker? They have families to feed. With this endless watering down of all worker protection, we will soon be bringing Victorian workhouses.

vezycash 7y ago
>It's not your judgement to make You'd be right if I'd said, "This is no issue. Or there's nothing wrong with it." I prefaced the statement with, "I Don't see..." In other words, it's my own opinion on the matter - not a blanket statement on behalf of everyone, just mine. I want to believe you'd have come to the same, on your own when well rested.

earenndil 7y ago

> Can't just create an API and invent AWS with them. Actually... That sounds surprisingly doable.

wongarsu 7y ago
And that's how the temp agency was invented

kalleboo 7y ago

Although the article also said 20% of the workforce was college students who had to go back to school anyway - that sounds like a win-win situation