On August 11^th, the 5^th lecture on “2020 Labor Relations under Global Work Resumption During the Pandemic” was held online by our university and co-organized by the Labor Relations Branch of Human Resources Development of China. Dr. Cao Xuebing, senior lecturer in human resource management at Keele Business School in the UK, was invited to give an online lecture entitled “The Impact of Covid-19 on the British Labor Market: Countermeasures and Prospects”. We also invited Professor Feng Xiliang and Professor Chang Kai to participate in the event. Professor Feng is the President of the Labor Relations Branch of Human Resources Development of China and the Dean of the School of Labor Economics of Capital University of Economics and Business. Professor Chang is the Honorary President of the Labor Relations Branch of Human Resources Development of China, and is from the School of Labor and Human Resources of Renmin University of China. Over 200 experts, scholars, teachers and students inside and outside the campus attended online. The lecture was hosted by Professor Feng.

In his concluding speech, Professor Feng expressed his appreciation for Dr. Cao’s wonderful lecture, and also extended his gratitude to our university for providing opportunities to learn and exchange ideas through the lectures. He pointed out that the lecture was coherent and informative. Being both current and future-oriented, the lecture had high academic value and practical significance. Dr. Cao not only explained the theme comprehensively from both macro and micro perspectives, but also put forward some inspirations in relevant theories and practices. His thoughts greatly broadened the audience’s vision and aroused the interest of teachers and students.

During the lecture, Dr. Cao gave a detailed introduction to the background, laws and regulations and labor relations in the British labor market based on his professionality and research experiences. Moreover, with rich data and examples, he interpreted the measures taken by the three parties in British labor relations in response to the impact of Covid-19 on the British economy, society and labor market. These measures include government intervention in the labor market, employers’ compliance with official guidelines, and the active role of trade unions. According to Dr. Cao, Covid-19 has exposed the problems exist in labor relations, and the power of labor and management may be further imbalanced in the future. He also provided some theoretical and practical ideals about the labor market, the important role of the state in adjusting labor relations, and the transformation of labor relations.

During the discussion, Professor Chang analyzed the major impact of Covid-19 on labor policies and labor relations and the important changes that have occurred. He continued to share his research experience and understanding on the legislation of labor relations from the following aspects: the transformation of labor relations, labor relations tripartism, theories on traditional industrial relations, and policy adjustments in the post-pandemic era. Afterwards, he provided his opinions and suggestions for future research directions and priorities.

In the Q&A session, Associate Professor Zhang Yanhua, Associate Dean of the School of Labor Relations and Human Resources of our university, Associate Professor Li Lingyun from East China University of Political Science and Law, and Dr. Meng Quan from Capital University of Economics and Business carried out in-depth discussions on a series of issues, including how to implement the British government’s 900-million-pound plan of performance coaching, policy considerations on whether to allow one year of maternity leave for British women, whether the UK can terminate labor contracts with the pandemic as the force majeure, the employers’ wage-cutting methods and their legal basis, and whether it is a long-term policy shift for the British government to compensate 80% of workers’ wages, and whether the pandemic acts as a turning point for the strategic transformation in labor unions.

Dr. Cao Xuebing is currently a senior lecturer in human resource management at Keele Business School in the UK. His research interests include comparative labor relations, migrant workers, labor market, labor unions, performance appraisal, wages, and work-family conflicts. He once served as the editorial board member of journals such as International Journal of Human Resource Management and Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources. His current research topics include “BRI and Decent Work: Opportunities and Challenges for East African Countries”, “Human Capital and the Mobility of New Generation of Migrant Workers”, and “New Ideas for Trade Unions and Organizations under Platform Economy”. He has published many papers and articles in journals, and presided over topics such as “Collective Wage Negotiation and Changing Labor Relations in China”, and “International Investment, Labor Market and Labor Relations: Sustainable Development and Challenges Facing Kenya”.

　　

(Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges (Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs))