How do we understand the cycle of workers’ struggles in China that emerged out of industrialisation and labour migration in the 1990s, culminated in militant strikes in the 2000s and 2010s, and faced repression and decline in the late 2010s?
The Rise and Fall of Chinese Labour Movement
Course Description
China has seen a cycle of workers’ struggles from the early 1990s until the late 2010s, emerging out of industrialisation and labour migration in the 1990s, culminating in militant strikes in the 2000s and 2010s, and facing repression and decline in the late 2010s. How did workers organise themselves? How did the state respond to workers’ actions? And, what is left of the movement after three decades? This course will explore these questions and more to shed light on one of the most consequential periods of labour struggles in recent Chinese labour history.
- Session Schedule: 5 Online Sessions / 1.5 hour per session
- Course Fee: USD$60 (Regular Price) / USD$40 (Students/Workers/Unemployed)
- Class Size: Class Limited to 10 Students
Registration Deadline: May 10, 2026
Course Facilitator
Kevin Lin is the Managing Editor of Asian Labour Review. He writes about labour struggles in China and Asia, and is interested in building international labour solidarity. He is a co-author of China in Global Capitalism: Building International Solidarity Against Imperial Rivalry (Haymarket 2024)
Class Time
- 6:00pm: Pakistan
- 6:30pm: India/Sri Lanka
- 6:45pm: Nepal
- 7:00pm: Bangladesh
- 7:30pm: Myanmar
- 8pm: Indonesia/Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam
- 9pm: Hong Kong/Taiwan/China/Philippines/Singapore/Malaysia
- 10pm: Japan/Korea
Session Schedule
Session 1 – May 11, 2026: Industrialisation and Nascent Worker Resistance (1993-2003)
The brutal face of China’s industrialisation is revealed in one of the worst industrial disasters at a toy factory in Shenzhen in 1993. The first session traces the making of a new working class in the early years of post-Mao industrialisation, and nascent worker movement in China.
Session 2 – May 18, 2026: The Rise of Worker Militancy and Legislating the Movement (2003-2009)
Workers became emboldened and confident to take actions, as workers gained more experience and bargaining power, and new forms of worker organisations emerged. The state responded by legislating labour protections yet refused to permit independent trade unionism.
Session 3 – May 25, 2026: Strike Waves and Movement Building (2010-2014)
The early 2010s were a time of strike waves sweeping across China. A sense of optimism about the future of the labour movement prevailed among activists and scholars who suggested a change from defensive to offensive struggles. Yet, workers struggled to carve out an independent movement and gain political power.
Session 4 – June 1, 2026: The Fall and Logic of Repression (2015-2019)
The optimism proved wishful in the second half of 2010s. While some notable strikes took place, the tide began to turn against worker organising and the state shifted from a more responsive and accommodating approach to one of pre-emptive and sweeping repression.
Session 5 – June 8, 2026: The Promises and Realities (2020-present)
What can we learn from a cycle of workers’ movement over three decades? How should it be situated within a regional and global context? What power did the movement gain, and how to explain the fall of the movement? Can we anticipate a new cycle of struggles on the horizon?
To contact us: convenor@labourschool.org
