Union Renewal or Transmission Belt? - An Examination of the ‘Professional Union Leader and Organizer Program’ in China

This paper assesses whether the formation of grassroots unions under the Professional Union Leader and Organizer Program’ (PULOP) in China provide one viable pathway through which renewal might occur. Data obtained from in-depth interviews with union leaders, rank-and-file members, and data from documentary sources are deployed. The findings highlight that, although contingent and precarious, features of ‘managerialist renewal’ occurred within some of PULOP unions. However, these efforts were finally directed towards reconnecting the ruptured two-way transmission belt role of the ACFTU at grassroots private sector workplaces. Nonetheless, since little rank-and-file participation was involved in union organizing and operations, workers at grassroots workplaces were in fact remain distant to their unions. The paper concludes by drawing out the implications of the finding that the two-way transmission belt role of the ACFTU, paradoxically, is remain shattered without genuine worker participation in union formation and operation processes.