Job satisfaction and union participation in China. Developing and testing a mediated moderation model

Pages964-980
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/ER-10-2017-0245
Date01 October 2018
Published date01 October 2018
AuthorEnhua Hu,Maolong Zhang,Hongmei Shan,Long Zhang,Yaqing Yue
Subject MatterHR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law
Job satisfaction and union
participation in China
Developing and testing a mediated
moderation model
Enhua Hu
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
Maolong Zhang
School of Economics and Management,
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
Hongmei Shan
Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing, China, and
Long Zhang and Yaqing Yue
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer empirical evidence on whether and how the work experiences
of employees in China influence their union-related attitudes and behaviours.
Design/methodology/approach The authors developed a mediated moderation model to examine how
job satisfaction and labour relations climate interactively affect union participation and whether union
commitment mediates the interactive effects. A total of 585 employees from enterprises in Jiangsu, Zhejiang,
Anhui, Jiangxi and Fujian province of China were surveyed to verify the model.
Findings Job satisfaction was negatively related to union participation and union commitment. Labour
relations climate moderated the relationship between job satisfaction and union participation; the relationship
was negative and stronger when employees perceived an adverse, rather than a favourable, labour relations
climate. Further, the interactive effect of job satisfaction and labour relations climate on union participation
was partly mediated by union commitment.
Originality/value By empirically examining employeesattitudes and behaviours towards unions in the
Chinese context, this study confirms that unions could provide employees with alternative work resources to
cope with job dissatisfaction, even in a country where unions play a transmission beltrole between
employees and employers. This study adds value to the existing base of knowledge on union practice and
labour relations construction, both inside and outside of China.
Keywords China, Job satisfaction, Union commitment, Trade unions, Union participation,
Labour relations climate
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Chinese unions are regarded as significantly different from their counterparts in most other
industrialised countries (Zhu et al., 2011; Hui and Chan, 2015). Chinese unions are called
unions with Chinese characteristics, which means these unions play a two-way
transmission beltrole between the employer and the employees, maintaining labour
discipline and improving productivity along with defending labour rights (Chen, 2010;
Friedman, 2012). Moreover, unions in China organise and operate differently from unions in
Employee Relations
Vol. 40 No. 6, 2018
pp. 964-980
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-10-2017-0245
Received 13 October 2017
Revised 7 March 2018
17 April 2018
Accepted 10 May 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0142-5455.htm
The financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (71573123, 71772087 and
71473131), the Human Resource Development Research Base of Jiangsu Province (2017ZSJD002) and
the Major Program of the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (NP2017302) is
gratefully acknowledged.
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ER
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industrialised countries in three ways: vertical hierarchical structure, lack of independence
and limited rights to go on strike (Budd et al., 2014).
The distinctive features of Chinese unions have generated criticism that they can hardly
play an effective,tough role in protectinglabour rights like unions outsideof China (Friedman
and Lee, 2010; Heng,2010). However, since labour disputes have increased considerably with
market reforms (Cooke, 2008; Elfstrom and Kuruvilla, 2014; Wang and Cooke, 2016), Chinese
Government officials have begun to realise the importance of having harmonious labour
relations (Howell, 2008; Liu, 2010) and have required unions to assume moreresponsibility in
protecting employeesinterests (Wu and Sun, 2014). Under such circumstances, unions are
now able to exert more influence in the labour relations system, and the role of unions has
accordinglygone through significantchanges. Specifically, insteadof the traditional two-way
transmission beltrole, Chinese unions are now more of a multiple-role holder, serving as an
effective institution builder,an interlocutor and a third-partymediator (Lee et al., 2016). There
has been economics research demonstrating that Chinese unions have positively affected
employeespay and working conditions (e.g. Yao and Zhong, 2013; Ge, 2014). Research has
also provided qualitative evidence that although Chinese unions need to place a stronger
emphasis on enhancing employeesvoice and participation (Liu and Li, 2014; Hui and Chan,
2015). They are taking effective actions to improve employment conditions, and their
functions are valued by both management and employees (Chan et al., 2017).
As identifying Chinese unionsunique functions and overall effects has become an
important pursuit, exploring employeesunion participation and commitment at the micro
level has also provoked research interest. On the one hand, pessimists hold the view that
employees tend to perceive unions as an adjunct of management, they usually ignore or
mistrust union effects since they werenot involved in the unionsorganisation and operation
(Bai, 2011; Elfstrom and Kuruvilla, 2014; Hui and Chan, 2015). On the other hand, optimists
argue that, with the reformation and transformation of the union system, many employees
began to show favourable attitudestowards unions, they are supportive of union reformsand
regard unions as necessary (Nichols and Zhao, 2010; Cooke, 2011; Friedman, 2012; Wang,
2016). Notably, Chan and Snape (2013) found that Chinese workers distinguish clearly
between organisational and unioncommitment, and determinedthat horizontal collectivismis
positively associated with union commitment and union citizenship behaviour. Since
controversy still exists, with relatively few studies having directly examined the antecedent
process of Chinese employeesunion participation and commitment, Chan and Snape (2013)
also highlighted the importance of re-evaluating employeesunion-related attitudes and
behaviours due to recent developments in Chinese unions. Previous studies in industrialised
countries have shown that job satisfaction is a key factor influencing union commitment and
participation, but the specific conclusions have been mixed (e.g. Bamberger et al., 1999;
Tan and Aryee, 2002; Lee, 2004). Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, Chinese unions have
unique nature and membership characteristics, both of which could influence the relative
importance of the various antecedents of union participation and commitment (Redman and
Snape, 2014). Hence, it is essential to take a step further to look at mediating/moderating
mechanisms and to explore the integrated antecedent process of Chinese employeesunion
participation andcommitment. This approach will not only enable a better understanding of
Chinese unions, but will reveal implications for union renewal studies in other countries.
To explore thecauses and conditions of employeesunionparticipation and commitment in
China, this studyintegrated job satisfaction andlabour relations climate, the mostsignificant
influencing variables in existing studies of industrialised countries (Gordon et al., 1980;
Bamberger et al., 1999; Fiorito et al., 2015), and examined their interaction in the Chinese
context. Within the framework of conservation of resources theory (COR theory; Hobfoll,
1989), we developedand tested a mediated moderation model (Muller et al., 2005) delineating
whether labour relations climate moderated the relationship between job satisfaction and
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Job satisfaction
and union
participation

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