African and Western labor groups alike lament poor working conditions in Chinese firms operating in Africa. Many African employees work long hours, are paid well below the minimum wage, have no vacation days and often experience physical abuse from their Chinese managers. Without a doubt, conditions such as these are unacceptable and deserving of immediate attention and rectification.
Before we continue pointing fingers and touting the cruelty of the Chinese in Africa, however, it's worth considering what lies at the root of the problem. The answer, I think, is nothing more than a simple case of continuing with the familiar, as documented in a recent NYTimes article. It is no mystery that labor conditions in China are anything but great. Employees in Chinese factories work long hours, are paid well below the minimum wage, have no vacation days and often experience physical abuse from their managers. Sound familiar? It should.
While a change in labor conditions in Africa must certainly come, such change is likewise badly needly in China. For until Chinese companies grant their own workers the rights they deserve, it's unlikely that these rights will be bestowed unto foreign nationals working in their firms.