ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Unions and workplace safety investment in Chinese private enterprises
Yinxiao Chu,
Xiaoyu Huang,
Jianxing Wei,
Yinxiao Chu
School of Economics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Xiaoyu Huang
China School of Banking and Finance, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China
Correspondence
Xiaoyu Huang, China School of Banking and Finance, University of International Business and Economics, 10 Huixin East Street, Beijing, 100029, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorJianxing Wei
China School of Banking and Finance, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorYinxiao Chu,
Xiaoyu Huang,
Jianxing Wei,
Yinxiao Chu
School of Economics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Xiaoyu Huang
China School of Banking and Finance, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China
Correspondence
Xiaoyu Huang, China School of Banking and Finance, University of International Business and Economics, 10 Huixin East Street, Beijing, 100029, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorJianxing Wei
China School of Banking and Finance, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China
Search for more papers by this authorFirst published: 28 November 2024
[Correction added on 3 December 2024, after online publication: Jianxing Wei affiliation have been updated in this version]
All authors contribute equally to this work.
Abstract
This paper examines the significant role of unions in workplace safety investment. Analyzing data from a national survey of Chinese private enterprises, we find that unionization has a positive effect on workplace safety investment. We test several mechanisms through which unionization may enhance workplace safety investment. Unionization increases investment in workplace safety by advocating for formal contracts between employees and firms. More importantly, unionization enhances workplace safety investment through the democratization of corporate governance structure. Furthermore, the employee representative assembly system, a fundamental mechanism for union participation in democratic management within Chinese firms, is also observed to augment safety investment.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Chinese Private Enterprise Survey at https://cpes.zkey.cc/.
Supporting Information
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