Frontpage words - March 8, 2010

by Denise Tsang in Guangzhou

SCMP, page A1 & A3 March 08, 2010

1. In the old days ... Liu Xiaorong would have been treated as factory fodder
- like people specifically bred to work in a factory -

2. the tables have turned
- means things used to be one way and now they are the opposite. Factory workers used to fight to get a job, but now it's the factory managers that need to fight to get enough workers. -

... an acute labour shortage
- very serious -

3. Even the lure of three times the normal pay and perks such as air conditioning, basketball courts and television is not enough to get workers to sign up
- prospect -
- added bonuses -

4. After weathering slumping orders during the global financial crisis
- enduring decreasing -

5. Reaping grain is exhausting
- harvesting, collecting -