Trade union federation born at footwear giant

A federation of trade unions was launched on Tuesday at Taiwanese footwear giant Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings in Gaobu town, Dongguan, Guangdong province, after the company saw massive strikes in April over underpaid contributions to workers' social insurance benefits.

The federation consists of eight company committees, 17 factory branches and 186 workshop groups. About 27,000 Yue Yuen workers, nearly 70 percent of its workforce, have joined, Nanfang Daily reported.

The previous version of the trade union did not fulfill its role, critics said. Launched in 2006, it had been inactive before the provincial, city and Gaobu town trade union federations sent a work team into the company in July, according to the provincial trade union federation.