Question: How much does a part-time worker at
McDonald's earn in one hour?
Answer: Four yuan (52 cents), or slightly less
than the price of two ice-cream cones.
Such is the claim of a report published last month, which
alleged the burger chain, along with fellow US fast-food giants KFC
and Pizza Hut, pays its part-time workers in Guangdong far less
than the legal minimum wage of about $1 an hour.
The report said that McDonald's pays its part-timers, many of
whom are college students, just 4 yuan per hour, a shade less than
KFC, which pays 4.7 yuan (61 cents) and Pizza Hut, 5 yuan (65
cents).
Media in a further 10 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai,
Tianjin, Taiyuan and Fuzhou, later reported similar findings.
The reports have caused uproar across the country.
Labor authorities in Guangdong and elsewhere have begun
investigating the claims, while the All-China Federation of Trade
Unions has urged the fast-food companies to redress any violations
of regulations.
According to a China Daily online survey, 44 percent of
the 785 respondents said they would boycott the companies named in
the scandal.
In response, McDonald's and Yum Brands Inc, which operates KFC
and Pizza Hut, said they had complied with the law, but were
seeking clarification of recent changes to the regulations.
In addition, labor officials in Shanghai said they had found no
violations of the minimum wage regulations in McDonald's or KFC
outlets, as the rules there do not apply to part-time or student
workers.
"The fast-food giants are making use of the legal loopholes, as
our labor law doesn't have clear stipulations on the rights and
benefits of part-time or student employees.
"The case also shows that our labor authorities do not properly
supervise foreign- funded companies."
Liang Zhi, a director of the labor law committee of All China
Lawyers' Association
"I'll apply for arbitration at the labor and social security
bureau, demanding KFC pays my wages retroactively."
Tang Xiaojing, a woman who was dismissed from KFC in Guangzhou
after working there for eight years.
Opinions:
"Cheating part-time workers is also a common practice in the US
because companies take advantage of the fact that most part-timers
are young, inexperienced and lack representation. These businesses
should be required to adhere to the rules and regulations of the
host country."
"I don't think the companies are to blame, because they are
profit-making enterprises. Instead, the trade union and labor
departments are at fault, because they are supposed to protect
workers' rights and supervise the enterprises."
"It's time not only to focus on the trusts (international
giants), but to be aware of the unequal situation for laborers in
China, and to wonder why the legislation here is always so
vulnerable."
(China Daily April 11, 2007)