The government should establish a smooth channel for passenger service providers to voice their petitions on violated rights instead of simply banning strikes through regulations, says an article on the website www.china.com.cn. The following is an excerpt:
The draft regulations on road traffic in Guizhou province stipulate passenger service providers shall not strike.
In a modern society, strikes are a way of asking for rights and no one is allowed to strip people of the right to strike. Usually only when their rights are seriously violated and their pleas for rights ignored too much will they choose to strike. After all, strikes have high costs. The seeking of rights rather than strikes is the real aim, which was the case with the recent cab drivers' strikes against increased management fees.
For cab drivers, strikes are perhaps not the best way of protecting their rights, but become the inevitable choice at last. The violation of their rights gets to the point of threatening their livelihood. The regulations issued by the government cannot stop strikes from occurring as strong pleas for protection of the rights. The ban on strikes cannot be effective, and it is legally groundless.
(China Daily November 28, 2008)