中国180万煤炭和钢铁工人面临下岗

Almost 2m Chinese coal and steel workers will lose their jobs because of government policies to cut overcapacity, according to the minister of human resources, highlighting looming woes for China’s workforce.

中国人力资源和社会保障部部长尹蔚民称，近200万中国煤炭和钢铁工人将因为削减过剩产能的政府政策而失去工作岗位，此言突显中国劳动者面临潜在困境。

As fears grow over the true extent of the country’s economic slowdown, laid-off workers in traditionally stable sectors are being forced to compete for jobs with about 15m people entering the labour force each year — threatening mass unemployment, strikes and social unrest.

在各方加剧担心中国经济放缓的真实程度之际，传统上稳定行业的下岗工人正被迫与每年加入劳动力大军的大约1500万人竞争工作岗位，这有可能酿成大规模失业、罢工和社会不安定。

Speaking to the media yesterday, Yin Weimin said 1.3m coal workers and 500,000 steel workers could expect to lose their jobs. The majority are likely to be in state-owned enterprises. 

尹蔚民昨日在对媒体发表讲话时表示，130万煤炭工人和50万钢铁工人可能失去工作。多数可能是国有企业职工。

The minister said the government would put in place “adequate measures” to limit labour market disruption. These included a Rmb100bn ($15bn) fund to help resettle laid-off workers; more flexible retirement procedures within companies; retraining for workers; and encouraging companies to resettle workers internally.

这位部长表示，政府将“多措并举”降低劳动力市场的扰乱。这些措施包括拿出1000亿元人民币（合150亿美元）帮助安置下岗职工；实行企业内部更为灵活的退休程序；再培训工人；以及鼓励企业在内部安置职工。

Last year China’s steel industry, which accounts for more than half of global production, reduced output for the first time since 1981. The government has set a target of cutting 150m tonnes of production in the five-year plan to 2020.

占全球总产量一半以上的中国钢铁业，去年自1981年以来首次降低产量。政府已在截至2020年的五年规划中制定了削减1.5亿吨产量的目标。

Wang Guoqing, director of research at Lange Steel Information Research Centre in Beijing, estimated that one in 10 steel workers faced being laid off. She added that solid statistics were hard to come by after the government stopped reporting steel employment figures at the end of 2013.

北京兰格钢铁信息研究中心主任王国庆估计，10个钢铁工人中有一个面临下岗。王国庆补充说，政府在2013年底停止报告钢铁业就业数字后，可靠的统计数据不容易获得。

Last month China International Capital Corporation, an investment bank, estimated that three in 10 jobs would be lost across all overcapacity sectors — roughly 3m in total. These sectors included cement, glass and shipbuilding, as well as steel and coal. 

投行中金公司(CICC) 1月估计，所有产能过剩行业中，三成的工作岗位将保不住，总计大约300万。这些行业包括水泥、玻璃、造船，以及钢铁和煤炭。

The problem of job cuts was also raised by officials at the China Iron and Steel Association’s national council meeting last month. Li Xinchuang, head of the China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, told China Economic Weekly last month that steel capacity cuts would mean 400,000-500,000 displaced workers.

在1月举行的中国钢铁工业协会理事会会议上，官员们也提出了裁员的问题。中国冶金工业规划研究院院长李新创2月对《中国经济周刊》表示，削减钢铁产能将意味着40万至50万下岗工人。

At the same time as sustaining heavy job losses, Mr Yin said the Chinese economy would see an influx of 15m young people entering the job market this year, an increase from previous years.

尹蔚民表示，在承受严重裁员的同时，今年中国经济将看到1500万年轻人涌入就业市场，比往年有所增加。

Growing strains in China’s workforce have already led to an increase in strikes and “workplace incidents”, according to the China Labour Bulletin, a Hong Kong-based labour rights group, which recorded 503 incidents in January, almost double the 272 in the same month last year.

根据总部位于香港的劳工权益团体“中国劳工通讯”(China Labour Bulletin)，中国的劳动力大军所受的压力越来越大，已导致罢工和“工作场所事件”增加；1月份中国各地发生503起这样的事件，几乎是去年同期272起的两倍。

“It is a social issue,” said Ms Wang. “It will affect people’s sense of security. Our country is a socialist country; it must secure the livelihoods of its workers.”

“这是一个社会问题，”兰格钢铁信息研究中心的王国庆表示。“它会影响人们的安全感。我国是一个社会主义国家；国家必须保障劳动者的生计。”

One Shanghai manager, when asked whether local migrant workers were worried about employment instability, said: “Mostly they just worry about making it until the next Spring Festival.” 

在被问及当地的农民工是否担心就业不稳定时，上海一名经理表示：“多数情况下他们只是为做到下一个春节操心。”