Nokia employees at the Dongguan factory in China go on strike over Microsoft deal (Updated)

By Kane Gao
last updated

Update: More info has come forward, reported below

The Nokia and Microsoft deal is going well so far, with shareholders now also on board. However, it appears that not everyone approves the acquisition as some of Nokia's China workforce have gone on strike.

According to reports, hundreds of workers at a Chinese Nokia factory located in Dongguan, Guangdong Province have on strike. As shown in the above photo, they're holding up a large banner in protest, which reads "Workers are not simple merchandise, assets or slaves. Please do not sell us. We have DIGNITY and RIGHTS!"

This is actually not, or at least not directly, against the Microsoft deal. As part of the acquisition, Nokia factories will be transferred to Microsoft. It's believed colleagues in a Vietnam factory received financial compensation for their change of employment, and the Chinese workers are now protesting for the same treatment. 

Elop

Nokia CEO, Stephen Elop

However, alternative sources speculate that the workers may be on strike because Nokia's factory in Dongguan has been temporarily put on hold, and workers are not satisfied with the overly reduced salary during this furlough period.

The news and pictures were published on Chinese social media website Sina Weibo by an employee at the Dongguan factory. Interestingly, the poster himself never said what exactly they are striking for, merely asking people to spread the word, and reposting news reports about this incident (with whatever speculation).

So far, neither side has backed down. The factory has issued formal warning to a long list of striking workers.

Update 12 PM ET: A source close to the situation has noted that no jobs have been lost through the Nokia / Microsoft deal. In addition, workers in Vietnam have not received any form of financial compensation, nor has their employment changed. Likewise, the factory in Guangdong Province is still operational. This seems to be a coordinated effort by some workers to take advantage of the change of employers and not necessarily a revolt of workers as portrayed in social media.

Sources: Sina Weibo (opens in new tab), WPDang, iFeng (opens in new tab)

Kane Gao
Kane Gao
165 Comments
  • Hrm....
  • You just lost the contract, and thus your jobs. Way to go, Muppets. Why do people strike over stupid things? How about give Microsoft a chance, and if all turns aoir, then take industrial action...
  • They should go back to the village if they are so ungrateful for money from foreigners. Greedy lazy chinamans my god, they should have studied harder at school if they expected more than unstable manual labour for employment. Thankfully the jobs are slowly moving to Vietnam so no more of these ridiculous strikes in the future once all the manufacturing is phased out of greedy China.
  • I don't know you. But you sound like an asshole.
  • I think that was supposed to be sarcasm.
  • I don't see the sarcasm in his statement.
  • Agreed
  • My exact thoughts, ignorant comment. Please crawl back to the rock you're from.
  • Lots of thought police on today. What is interesting though is the fact that they are having this sort of industrial protest at all, that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.  China definitely is a different place now for manufacturing and business in general.
     
  • :))
  • You're a racist piece of ****!
  • What's this turd doing on this website?
  • Makes me smile when I hear about a strike in China, shit over there has to change
  • The Yellows are taking over, bring the factories over here, USA!
  • There's 3 million of us on WPC right? Lets handle this ourselves..
  • Wanna pay for airfare? Lol.
  • Lol❕ Right❕ 3mill•$600 =$1,800,000,000.. Yeah, we can't afford even the airfare.. Lol..
    Not like 3million of us need to go though...
  • I would love to see you work as a slave in exchange for a dish of rice like many of these people. You have no perception of the world outside your house, kid.
  • Wow! Your perception of Chinese tech-factory-workers is laughable. SMH. Your statement is an insult to those who actually work for a bag of rice. These are not low -pay employees by any means.
  • It doesn't mean workers in China are well paid or have the same basic rights as western workers. Which was the entire point of the comment as understood by anyone with more than 2 brain cells functioning.
  • It is unfortunate you have to resort to insulting a person on an internet forum to make a point, but here's my 2 braincells worth of opinion. Culturally speaking, worker rights does not hold the same definition in different countries. In fact, they have better benefits than even the American system affords its workers. The workers in this case are basically asking for the same kind of payment their Vietnamese counterparts got. How valid their request is, is unknown to me and I cannot comment on that. But having been to China and India to industrial sites for work, I can tell you for a fact that your original and counter statement holds no water in any sense.
  • Your perceptions are way, way off.  You have some very low and old information.  I suggest you study up about China before you spout such BS.  As someone who has to go to China on a regular basis i can tell you that wages are getting high enough that they almost equal or exceed US wages in some cases.  Case in point, the person I work with who is the plant manager makes the same exact salary as a US plant manager (~$90K).  The labor costs have risen in China such that a lot of work is actually coming back to the USA.  The same goes for India.  In a few years it will no longer be cheaper.  Even Chinese factories are looking to go into Africa for cheap labor because they believe their own labor force is too expensive! While they may get free lunch and or breakfest, it is a perk and not their only daily wage. Please, read up and learn something before you speak.  You have no clue!  I get mad when they say American's are ignorant, and then I see a comment like this I believe sometimes those people are correct.
  • But DJCBS isn't American. -_-
  • Why did he have to be from my country -.-
  • "your" country is not yours alone. Why did YOU have to be from "my country"? Oh I know...so you could elect the morons who took us to where we are.
    Deves ser do Benfica...
  • NutmegState just said one of the dumbest thing ever. With inflation in that country the way it is don't even compare their income to USA income. With a lack of basic human rights how exactly would you know how the workers of that factory live just cuase you travel... alot. apparently you have a bias towards the managers you said you work with so next time you travel why don't you check first hand and make some friends on the factory floor
  • Why are you assuming they're American? Are the only racist people on earth found in America? Sounds kind of racist to assume that, doesn't it?   I'm American, and I'm neither ignorant nor racist... My discrimination is towards idiots, and I hate them all regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation.
  • I'm not American.
    And perhaps you should try and go beyond the veil. For you see, if you go to Cuba, your impression is also that they are happy and satisfied and their conditions aren't as deplorable as that. But then you sneak behind the veil. And you see the "wonders" of socialism at work.
    Don't be deluded. The "plant manager" isn't on the same level as the people in the assembly lines. Yes, their salaries is increasing. But it still forces them to a miserable life with no rights or expectations of going beyond their social status. As for comparisons to US wages...I don't know how much factory employees make in America. Because honestly, I don't think I can name a single product that is produced IN America. However, I'm not American, as I've said.
  • Wont work with 3 million, remember Bruce lee's predecessors are still living over there (Its a joke and im sure he too was joking so people chill)
  • Something is better than nothing
  • Right then, don't sell them. I thought having a job was a privilege esp in a country with such a huge population. I bet if all of them quit, more will join! Such losers!
  • Yeah! Damn ungratefuls! They're lucky to have a job and don't deserve basic rights, fair treatment or dignity. They should be paid less and treated like dogs!
    /s
  • I dont know how u come to those words. people are people..none of them deserve to be treated like dogs
  • His reply was sarcasm, proper
  • Your right, but if they have been treated badly, it was by Nokia, not MS. If they appreciated they're jobs then they would be protesting and just be glad Nokia didn't shut them down when they were making all the cuts the last couple of years. They would also appreciate MS keeping the factory open making devices, but if they don't appreciate it, the maybe MS should shut them down since apparently they don't appreciate keeping their jobs. If it wouldn't be for MS giving Nokia funds, the Lumia line wouldn't exist
  • Find the video online called "Nokia: A Decent Factory"   Nokia is one of those companies who bent over backwards for their employees and has a speacial human ethics committee just to make sure they are treating the people in their factories properly.  The video is OLD but it shows the length to which Nokia went to make sure they did everything they could. The issue is more like they are afraid that Microsoft may not have the same standards.
  • +925
  • Yeah, I was being sarcastic (I put /s at the end to show that)
  • Don't see how you can even come up with such a hypocritical response. You are talking about "basic rights"? They have a job. Go ask a jobless or a homeless that starves most nights. If the company isn't operational as normal, don't see a point in getting paid as normal! Most people work their ass off to bring bread to the table. Maybe you will know this when you grow up?
  • I'm probably older than you, and have a mortgage and a family. People should have the right to protest or strike against unfair treatment. Jobless or homeless people only starve in countries that treat their lowliest citizens like crap (i.e. such as in the US). If you're in a civilised country then the government will provide you with money, food, healthcare, and shelter until you get back on your feet. People work, pay taxes, and when times are tough those taxes are there to support them indefinitely. People are entitled to fair working conditions at all times, and if they're unhappy they're entitled to protest or strike without fear of reprisal.
  • Does it say they are treated like dogs? An employer offers a job at a certain salary. An employee has a choice of working at that salary or finding work elswhere at a higher salary. If thye can't find work at a higher salary, that means their skills are high valued and they should develope new skill. What are these basic rights you refer to? Are you saying peple are entitled to work for a certain company? The local governments create laws to provide a certain level of protection for employees. Those are the only rights a company is required to follow.
  • I was being sarcastic. He is calling them losers for protesting unfair treatment. Saying they should be grateful for their jobs implies they should just accept any mistreatment because they're 'lucky' to have a job in the first place. People should be entitled to protest or strike to stand up for themselves.
  • Bring the company to NYC I would work for Microsoft I'm so serious. What's good MS.
  • Me too, no doubt
  • No manufacturer will bring jobs to NYC. The local and state taxes are ridiculous, not to mention all the licensing requirements and eventually the union demands. If a company will bring a plant to the US, it will go somewhere in the south. You say you will work for Microsoft, but you didn't say at what salary. The cost of living in NYC alone is enough to keep manufacturing plants out of the state. Consumer electronics are very cost sensative. They can't pass cost along to consumers because the competition will undercut their prices.
  • That is true ymcpa. I live in Alabama and we are starting to get a lot of businesses like automobile factories. Mostly because we don't support a union and we have favorable taxes for these businesses.
  • What the hells wrong with you? Have some respect towards these"losers" who happen to make the everyday electronics you use. Dont let perception of what people do for a living alter your views on them.... Chump.
  • Losers - for going on a strike because company doesn't want to pay full wages and compensation for not coming to work. What's chumpy about it? I work overtime without pay. Don't go on strike. In this economic climate, they should be grateful they haven't been laid off like those 150 workers at BB.
  • I work as a forensics officer for London met.. However myself and others in my profession do not get a penny overtime, and sometimes we do over 20+ hours extra without pay, because overtime is only allocated to the police officers and sergeants, on top of that, they get free London travel, and we don't... I say that's unfair, however, i don't stick it to them. Plus i just saw an old lady on a unicycle, in Broadway market... So your argument is invalid.
  • Aren't you considered a professional and get paid a higher salary than the regular officers? I'm a CPA and we have the same thing in our profession. The licensed professional are exempt from overtime rules. Lower level employees get overtime while professionals and management don't.
  • Its completely mental over here how it works, just take the London 2012 olympics, alot of the police officers i know where paid to sit in a tents around the Olympic village, with provided food, drinks and ipads, plus, if you wanted to work on your day off, were paid double. Its just the way it is. And not only that, usually we never hardly get commendations...
  • Hey! I'm in hackney too! What the hell are we doing HERE?
  • Hackney ruled, until it became a hipster fest.
  • "in this economic climate"? You do realise that China is still booming right? And not all countries economies are in the toilet? Australia is also currently doing very well (one of the few countries that are) because we have a strong mining industry that sells to China. We have low unemployment and to say we should be "grateful" for our jobs and put up with any treatment is quite laughable.
  • If you work unpaid overtime then you are a chump. Unless you're being paid a huge salary, or it's written into your contract, then there's no reason at all to work for free. I get paid to work a set number of hours - no more, no less. I don't see why I should be so "grateful" to have a job and have to bend over backwards or kiss the arse of my boss. I do a good job, and I deserve to be paid for my efforts. If I work overtime I either get paid or take it as leave in lieu.
  • Wow, you have no idea, its in my contract to make sure crime scene is fully investigated, and then the paperwork... Its not the same as you see on tv, if my normal working hours have finished yet im at the scene, i can just walk away... That's not how it works in the real world.
  • I was actually replying to rockstarzzz, but anyway you should still be compensated for overtime somehow. I have no problem with overtime if you accrue leave-in-lieu to use at a convenient time. Of course, if it's in your contract you're obliged to do it but then hopefully you're already paid well to compensate for it.
  • I hope this wasn't serious, because that would make you an idiot.
  • You must be a 12year old kid...lol....grow up and you too will feel for them and even though the US is far more developed than china, it still has a higher unemployement rate than china so you cant actually say that they should be privileged to have a job atleast
  • Ok.
  • This is what you mean.right?...Interestingly the poster ITSELF ..
  • No, they were referring to the person that posted the picture on Seina Weiboo.
  • Ah. They meant the person who posted it . Got it in one, thank you! :)
  • hold on hold on.... they are going on strike from a factory that was put on hold anyway.... doesn't seem very disruptive, the whole idea of a strike you know?
  • Huh? Has the factory been put to hold? That China factory makes pretty much all of the Lumias. Why would it be in hold?
  • It says in the article that the factory was already temporaily on hold
  • This just made me sad :(
  • I know. Bad press, Nokia. Handle this well.
  • So these people feel like THEY are the ones being sold? Not the company? ...... Okay.
  • Technically they're right. Microsoft didn't bought Nokia. They bought the people and the know-how that formed the D&S division. They basically bought the people.
  • Well Nokia sold them, not MS. Didn't they know they were being sold before today? Why didn't they leave or look for work prior to now
  • Microsoft didn't buy people. I don't care how anyone looks at it. If having a job is so bad then find another one?? I mean...it is China, right? All the jobs go there, right? Enjoy.
  • What about the factories, tools, and equipment❔ That's huge.. Although, from what I remember Nokia was leasing most of those factories.. I guess MS's leasing them now.. Lol.
  • They bought the the licensing for the patents, the lumia brand, the research and design facilities, and the manufacturing facilities. They didn't buy people. Those people are free to leave anytime they want unless they under contract. Most will stay because Microsoft will continue paying their salaries. Microsoft bought the factory. The chinese workers can choose to stay or leave. The workers have no say in what happens to the factory. A company can choose to close it or expand it at any point. If the employees want a say, they need to build their own factory.
  • This is more a protest than strike.
  • This ^^^
  • aitt -- this is the smartest comment I read so far. Respect mate ;)
  • Yeah, I agree.
  • i dont like hearing/reading about stories like this. on one hand i hope the company doesnt fire anyone because i feel for anyone who loses a job, and on the other hand i hope they arent doing this in an effort to extort the company they work for.
  • Well, considering the workers haven't been able to explain why they are on strike, I'm going to have to side with the factory on this one.  
  • I wonder if the Nokita group is behind this.
  • Extortion is common in China and so is turn over.  It is common for the workers to complain about loyalty to them but for half the workforce to pick and leave for another company over night. You are using emotions without understanding all the facts. There is more than enough employment in China.  Turn over is very high. Do some research to be better informed
  • I'm not making a statement im just saying I hope it gets resoved whatever the reason. I wasn't using anything I just don't like hearing people lose jobs, while at the same time don't like when people abuse opportunities. That's all I meant.
  • Chassit?
  • Yes i m too.
  • How did you know 'dignity' and 'rights' were in capitals?
  • They're not capitalized; rather, they're highlighted in red in the photo.
  • Right, Nokia can leave that specific factory "unsold" to Microsoft, so these people get what they claim they want. Except after the deal there's not gonna be any work for them to do since there won't be any phone to be made, so they lose their job completely, rather than temporarily being put on hold. Some people didnt think of this through.....
  • The easiest solution to this problem is "don't like it? you are free to go, otherwise shut up and get back to work" works everytime
  • I hope you never run a business
  • This is exactly how most businessman run a business. The businessman takes all the risk. The employees collect a paycheck whether the business does well or not. The owner can't collect a paycheck if the company is losing money. In fact, he has to put more of his money into it or find someone to loan it to him. If the company goes under, the owner loses everything he invested. The employees don't lose anything. They just need to find another job. You think an owner will feel sorry that an employee feels he is unappreciated? If you take a poll, I bet you will find that most employees feel that they are more important to a company than they really are and that they deserve higher salaries. If an owner starts listening to all the employees, I guarantee he will go bankrupt shortly. There are a few truely valuable employees in any company that you pay well. The rest can be easily replaced if they are unhappy.
  • That's not quite true... a lot of people depend on their income to support their families and to pay their mortgages. Quite often they live paycheque to paycheque. If the company goes under you potentially have a lot of similarly-skilled people looking for work at the same time. Jobs aren't necessarily guaranteed and so they would possibly have to accept poor-paying jobs and work longer hours. Perhaps they'd have to collect welfare indefinitely, but that's rarely enough to cover a full mortgage in addition to supporting a family.
    A lot of employers are greedy and will milk every last drop out of an employee if they can get away with it. If it wasn't illegal they would demand longer hours for the same, or less, pay. Saying "don't like it? you are free to go, otherwise shut up and get back to work" is bascially saying "like it or lump it" and doesn't give any compromise when things are unfair. e.g. "I've decided you now have to work 18 hours a day for the same pay", "I don't agree", "Don't like it? You'll lose your job and your house". Yeah... poor employer. If it wasn't for people standing up to unfair treatment and conditions, then we'd all be working 18 hour days for $2/hour.
  • Except it doesn't work every time.  Companies have gone out of business because they treated their employees like crap and all the good ones left.  A company, its products, and its services are only as good as the employees that make up the company and produce its products and services.  I'm not saying the workers are right in this case (I can't tell what is going on here), but the idea that employees should just be grateful to have a job at a company that undervalues them is absurd.
  • Have you read about what the population in China is?
  • So by your standards, no education=no skill? Just curious.
  • Are you asking about formal education? Valuable skills are learned either from a school or working under a person who teaches you a skill. They are always learned and require some form of education. An apprenticeship is a form of education. If they truely have no education, that most likely they have very limited skills. The only other place to get skills is if your parents can teach you something. From what I understand, many chinese employees move from the countryside to the cities and have limited skills. Many assembly line jobs don't require a lot of training. They are simple repetative tasks. Unskilled employees end up in these type of jobs or are unemployed.
  • Your using Western emotions and philosphys on Eastern cultures -- it does not work and you do not understand the Chinese markets and economies.  You cannot use Western or USA values on the entire globe.  Unless you understand the culture and region you need to step back and understand them first.  You will be completely surprised that their value system and ours are completely different.
  • That where good management comes in. They need to identify who are the valuable employees and keep them happy. Many assembly line jobs are easily replaced. You don't want to make a situation so bad that the production suffers, but you're not going to care if some of them are unhappy. If you have limited skills, you should be happy to have a job. Most of these employees aren't undervalued. They are valued properly and no other employer will pay more for their skill set.
  • They work on an assembly plant for crying out loud, there is no education required, therefore there is zero skill involved. Factory workers were always replaceable. If this was America sure your argument would be valid, but in china it works the other way, there is always a willing replacement standing behind every single one of these guys.
  • Guess they'll be starving in a couple of months, I'm sure some one will gladly fill their vacant spots
  • In the US, workers don't receive compensation when the company they work for is sold. On the other hand, these people probably make next to nothing. I'm glad I don't have to resolve this.
  • That statement is not 100% true....depending on the contracts and state laws there is some form of compensation in many cases.
  • In some countries you receive the salary of 3 months of compensation from your current employer, layoff is different than in USA and those are government/employment laws, also you receive a new job offer (better salary) from the new employer (after job interviews, negotiations, etc.). After that you lost some benefits acquired with the time and start over with your new employer. That is possible for instance in Mexico but not in USA.  
  • so sad, the legend of mobile phone, Nokia, just a little part of "business"
  • I don't think anyone ever thought or claimed that Nokia was a charity.
  • Reduced work hours and pay? I've got an idea! Let's go on strike and not work at all!
  • It's called fighting for your rights, and bringing attention to unfair treatment.
  • Please cite the article that claims the unfair treatment?
  • That's their right. They can strike to bring attention to their demands. Nokia has the right to listen or ignore them. Reducing work hours is not unfair treatment. If a company has excess inventory, they won't manufacture more and they are not required to pay employees if they don't need their labor. There are government owned factories that continue to operate even though there isn't enough demand for their goods. The chinese steel industry is an example of this. The government subsidizes these companies and the main concern is employment and not profit. Nokia isn't subsidized by the chinese government. They are under no obligation to keep the factory running at full capacity if there isn't enough demand.
  • You'd be amazed at the number of people who think that's a great idea.  Having been in a union (well, more than one), and having been on the brink of strike (and I'd already told my boss I'd be crossing the line if we walked), I can attest first hand to the stupidity that is easily achieved by mob mentality. Also, currently working for a company where the division I work in has been sold twice in the past 18 months, I can tell you that it doesn't matter where my paycheck comes from - I'm thankful to have a paycheck.  I don't care who signs it.  And not one of us in the division complained about being sold again, having just been sold less than six months earlier.
  • You were never sold to begin with. Either the factory or the company was sold. You just happen to work in that factory and since you are already trained to do your job, the new owner had no need to replace you. If the factory was sold, you would have signed a new employment agreement with the new owner. If the company that owned the factory was sold, you continue to work for the company and just the top management changes.
  • Semantics.
  • It's too bad Nokia doesn't still make their phones in Finland. Maybe someday Microsoft will bring some production to the US, however unlikely that is.
  • It is more likely than you think.  Assembly may come to the US.  Component parts will still be made where ever it is cheaper.  That is how the Moto X is being done. You have to look at the world economy.  As we reduce dependence on foreign energy and if the government gets out of the way, costs for many goods are getting cheaper to make in the USA.  ABC World News Tonight has a whole Made in America segment including on their website.  Do some research
  • I am aware of all of that, but I still don't see it happening anytime soon since Nokia moved basically all of their production to Asian countries relatively recently. We'll see.
  • I feel sorry for these people. They're worked to death, paid next to nothing and get nothing as a result.
  • Buy enough about my job...these people in China really need help!
  • Show me the article?  Post the URL?  Cite for me the information.  Your information is old and you are misinformed.  What may have been, is no more. I travel to China ever quarter, I assure you, for the majority non-farm population, you are 100% wrong! Do you know that China is also allowing farmers to now own their own land?  That means in the next 3 to 5 years they will be making money farming and will also be given the freedom to set prices.  China has been changing.  Your information is years old.  do some research
  • Nutmeg, when you travel to China do you:
    A) visit only major cities? B) only have contact with management? C) not have any contact with workers on average wages? Why I'm asking, is because all of your comments suggest the answer, is 'yes' to all three mate. Also, I find your comments a bit hypocritical asking others to show sources to back up their comments. Although, you haven't backed up any of your own comments with sources?
  • All I know is that china is claimming all of the waters surrounding them as fas as 1000+ miles from their coast
  • Work gets outsourced here in the US all the time. No protest. Companies are sold and go out of business over night and you show up to work to locked doors. Welcome to 2013.
  • I'm glad to inform you that the World doesn't all work that way. Here in Europe, for example, if a company closes overnight and the workers show up to locked doors, the State supports the workers and the owners have their arses persecuted by the police because they committed a crime.
  • I bet they are prosecuted; not persecuted.
  • That's cool. Here if it doesn't get media attention you may never get anything to happen.
  • And there is a reason the world is not rushing to open factories in the EU
  • That's also a reason why unemployment is so high in many parts of Europe. We have a client in France. They tell us that they have open positions that they leave unfilled because if they hire someone and he turns out to be a bad employee, it is very difficult to fire him and very expensive. So, they leave the positions unfilled until they absolutely positive about a candidate. In the US, the employer does pay into an unemployment fund and the employees will collect some money for a period of time. Why would a company want to open a factory in Europe if they can't close it down if the venture turns out to be unprofitable? Are the owners required to keep money pumping into the factory for years? Are they allowed to declare bankruptcy?
  • Well, this does not apply to all of Europe since each country has its own government, laws and so on. It is not the "United States of Europe".
  • Need to do some research on US laws...
  • Laws are broken daily. Especially when they know they can get away with it.
  • :( :( :(
  • ({})
  • MS
  • What does multiple sclerosis have to do with this?
  • Microsoft dude. Don't comment on nothing that u don't kno
  • Obviously, my attempt at humor went unnoticed.
  • It begins.
    Karma's a b*tch. (and to see people on strike in communist China...that's not easy)
  • This isn't about the acquisition....
  • You are so wrong.  They strike all the time and often.  It is political speach they suppress.
  • They're protesting for money, nothing more. Some in one country were compensated, and they want theirs. Funny they strike for this, but not because their gov. allows child slave labor and they're paid the lowest in the world...seems staged to me.
  • You are wrong in many accounts. The government actually does not allow child or slave labour but the country is so large, and the curruption and political favors run so deep that the well connected will abuse the system.  The government in many cases cracks down on these factories and so that they cannot reopen, often burns them down or knocks them down when found. They are in fact, NOT the lowest or cheapest paid in the world -- once again, you are wrong.  Look to Vietnam and Africa for some real slave labor.   Get you facts straight, do some research.  Your using old information of a former China -- the China of today is much different
  • So I guess they want Nokia going out of business, and then they lose their jobs? ... ... then how is so hard for MS to replace that hundreds of people in China anyway. 
  • Yeah, but MS hasn't treated them like anything
  • MS does not even own the plant............MS only just got approval from the shareholders.  Tell me, where is MS involved?  Read the article
  • The level of ignorance, disrespect and Microsoft fanboyism in a lot of comments is staggering. All this because of a piece of software running on electronic components that will eventually die and be forgotten. Sad to read such pathetic attitudes.
  • Well I'm not exactly sure what the strike is about, but i can tell you that microsoft is rated if not #1 one of the highest companies in the world to work for, their benefits and employee treatment are unmatched literally treat their employees like gold. So unless nokia employees are just dumb and unaware how good it is to work for microsoft then i doubt its about that. I also hear that nokia is a joy to work for, but i can GUARUNTEE microsoft is ranked higher by their employees. So before you go saying they are fanboys because your also a fanboy of nokia because i'm also a fan of both i happen to know microsoft is top 5 companies in the world to work for look it up.
  • First of all, factories have their "busy" and "slow" seasons, if they are being put on hold now, it's because it's not good for the overall operations of the company to let them go at full speed.Now what's the risk of having it go at full speed no matter what? Nokia lose more money, Nokia incur huge loss, then may have to shut down completely. The company in that case would try to stay afloat by cutting cost (this is the most effective way of "buying the company more time to come up with better long term strategy), and when cutting cost these workers would most likely be fired. Also if they company do shut down they also get fired. Therefore, taking a reduced salary temporarily is better for the workers in the long term. Now some may say that the reduction in salary is too much. Well, that would be 100% be due to the terms of their contract (if they signed any). This is a local factory issue, or in fact a local labor issue in China, which has nearly nothng to do with Nokia and even less with Microsoft because Microsoft doesn't even own them YET. And finally, the Microsoft/Nokia deal is a very standard aquisition that happens in businesses every single day around the world. Typically, workers who are not satisfied with the new management are free to leave the company. But as part of the original company, deals like this are made at management level, and as long as it's not drastically changing their working style the workers wouldn't have much say to begin with (again, mostly likely written in contract or agreement, or else quite standard among business).  Ultimately, these people are looking for two things, 1) resumed high level production in their factory so they can be paid more, and/or 2) get the extra benefit as that one Vietnamese factory did. In other words, they are looking for more money. They are not protesting about the aquisition, not even their work schedule and environment, they are protesting because they feel like they've missed out on some extra money.
  • But your comment hasn't enlightened us at all. If you are so knowledgable, educate us. The cure for ignorance is knowledge. First, Microsoft has nothing to do with this. They don't own the factory yet. The shareholders approved the sale, but the various government uthorities in various countries haven't. Until that happens, Microsoft isn't an owner. The comments here are mostly about some people feeling these Chinese employees are being mistreated. If they are, it's Nokia doing it. However, there is nothing in the article that indicates Nokia did anything wrong.
  • Quick!  Send Wal-Mart executives over there to handle this!
  • Ironically, it's this sort of thing that's going to result in manufacturing returning to the west. If you're going to have similar labor issues and fave ever increasing manufacturing costs, why not just make stuff back home? And that way you do away with transport costs, the logistical complexity of a long supply chain and ensure better quality. Companies were willing to tolerate some amount of sacrifice because outsourcing was so inexpensive. But with that cost advantage shrinking and the negatives outweighing the benefits things are going to change. Granted, companies might just move deeper into the developing world, but either way it means severe economic problems for China.
  • Gonna take a stab at it, and guess they're striking over the fact they don't like being tossed from Nokia to Microsoft so casually.  It might not even be over wages, but a more symbolic kind of gesture. I guess Nokia "spoiled" em, and now they're apprehensive about what happens next. 
  • To this... I say... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3jiRZJ38xs lol
  • I would assume these workers get paid (albeit most likely vey little). Slaves get paid?
  • Big corporations have a big plan... Europe and America put in big debit people .... China receive awards from ONZ for killing a millions people every year without any war. Applause for greatest corporations who don't care about citizens.
  • I don't mind if people strike, they have the right. I am just glad it isn't over issues like human rights. The fact that a factory is changing owners happens everyday.
  • "No jobs have been lost". Well, the deal has barely taken place. It will take a good 3 to 6 months to find out the aftermath of such a takeover, job wise.
  • So we helped spread the wrong word here?
  • Welcome to the rest of the world, China. Employees are resources, tools to be utilized to further the business. Nothing more. If you are passionate about your job, this statement will p!ss you off as much as it did me when I first heard it from my employer. Now I treat my career as a business transaction. No freebies, but I know what I am to my employer. I share, because it still angers me, but I understand now.
  • Naturally, it's called human resources for a reason. They are rather important resources though. Microsoft is actually a textbook example of an organization that understands this. They understand how employees are a sourcr of competitive advantage and actually consider the implications on organizational culture. Microsoft ended a couple of acquisitions when they realized that the new workforce wouldnt fit in with the MS culture.
  • This is comletely unrelated, but intereted if other people share my same viewpoint. Does anyone else think it would be a huge mistake to remove the Nokia branding from Windows Phones? Nokia is up there with the most loved and trusted brands around, unfortunately Microsoft not so much...
  • Right this might answer my question - Do nokia actually manufacturer thier own phones? I have been under the impression that they are or were built by foxconn, or is that no longer the case ? Looks like these guys are not wearing the typical foxconn uniform ??
  • Why do people go in about bags of rice and slaves when they hear about Chinese workers? You don't get that sort of shit wage working for an electronics firm. These guys are trained engineers and just as eligible to strike or protest as any of their western counterparts for something they believe in. In China that shows some balls anyway.
  • Merger/aquisition is a normal process in business. It really happens to some companies. If they think that they are being sold, why can't they just resign! Their just jealous! Update tells that Vietnam have not received any form of financial compensation but whether true or not, company has all the right to give favor to anyone it wants to... cause it's its prerogative!
  • First, I want to thank these guys for assembling my 925. Second, why doesn't Microsoft just keep the workers and factories like they keep the design team in Finland?
  • It's those durned Chinese Teamster unions complaining about their jobs (or the lack thereof) again.  Time to teach them a lesson and move out to SE Asia.  And if a country like Vietnam starts acting up, we'll ship the jobs off to Cambodia or Bangladesh.  And if those workers start wanting more pay and job security, well... hmmm...anyone know if the Martians are Teamsters?  I hope not, because they'll teach us humans a lesson on hard work.
  • check it out: the video of strike; police officer =o... http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjM3MjQzMzY4.html
      http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjM3MTc2Mzg4.html