The application of tripartism in China in its transition toward a market economy: NTCC case study

Responding to internal market and social pressures that centre on the inadequate protection accorded to workers' rights, China's government has begun constructing a tripartite industrial relations regime. As this process matures, it is to be expected that it will have a significant impact on those business enterprises that elect to invest in China in order to capture the profits to be made by labour exploitation and may well change the national origin of China’s investment inflow. This paper examines the emerging tripartite consultation mechanisms that are being established by the government, trade unions and employers' organisations and explores three research questions relating to the viability of tripartism in China. It is concluded that, despite many constraints and limitations, the nascent system of tripartite consultation is becoming an integral part of China's industrial relations regime, and that gradually the tripartite mechanisms will enhance the representativeness of the social partners and further respect for the rights of labour in China.