The wildcat strike at the Nanhai Honda factory which formally ended on June 4th with a partial victory for workers, has subsequently inspired two other Honda factories in the Pearl River Delta to go on strike. In addition, workers from several Taiwanese-owned factories have adopted similar tactics, holding a sit-in in Jiangsu and blocking roads in Shenzhen.

Regarding the present upsurge of worker action in China, liberals have used their discursive power in the overseas media to frame the strike wave as a tale of workers’ struggle for ‘independent unions,’ as if this were a repetition of Solidarnosc. What do Chinese workers want? What is the direction of the Chinese workers movement? Those who support the movement and are concerned about the fate of the working class should provide an account matching the reality of the movement. This letter of support provides a perspective different from those predominant in the mainstream media.

For the protection of workers’ rights and the right to democratic election of worker representatives, the workers of Honda Auto Parts Manufacturing Co. Ltd has stopped work for nearly half a month. During the stoppage of work, we received support from both the domestic and international communities. The support has given tremendous boost in the morale of the workers’ struggle!

Workers in Honda Auto Parts Manufacturing Co., Ltd. of Foshan City started to resume work on a conditional basis in the evening of 1 June. The resumption of work was a result of the mediation of members of the National People’s Congress and Mr. Zeng Qinghong, Deputy Director and General Manager of Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. We agree to temporary resumption of work for three days on the condition that the management shall provide satisfactory answers to our demands. Otherwise, the strike action will continue.

To all those who are concerned with workers in China: On May 17, 2010, more than 1800 Honda workers in Foshan decided to go on strike. By May 27, all four Honda plants in China had stopped production. Let us unite and exert pressure on Honda. We want to tell Honda: stop all your efforts to divide and suppress workers and meet workers’ demands.

Two days ago (on May 31st) a group of around forty workers involved in the Honda strike were assaulted by thugs claiming to be part of the local trade union. This created much indignation among workers who immediately demanded an apology and a thorough investigation. In response, the Nanhai District and Shishan Town General Trade Unions sent an open letter of “apology” to the workers on the following day of June 1st. Below is the English translation of the letter.