CATL has recently announced a salary increase of 150 yuan for its frontline employees. This move is certainly positive, as any company that raises wages for workers and shares profits with shareholders deserves recognition—though exceptions exist, such as certain firms that distributed over 50 billion yuan to obscure shareholders.
According to last year’s annual report, CATL employs 132,000 workers with an average annual salary of 236,300 yuan. The current pay raise targets JG1-JG6 frontline workers, who numbered 96,700 in production roles last year.
A recruitment post on CATL’s official Douyin account in October revealed that pre-tax monthly salaries for Grade 1-3 workers at its Ningde base are 6,400 yuan, 6,900 yuan, and 7,800 yuan, respectively. Basic wages account for about 40% of the total, ranging from 2,600 to 3,050 yuan. The remaining income comes from allowances, bonuses, and overtime pay. Meanwhile, job listings on Boss Zhipin indicate that CATL’s general workers earn between 7,500 and 8,000 yuan monthly, including subsidies and overtime, with a base salary of 2,310 yuan.
While it’s unclear which source is more accurate, the local minimum wage in Ningde is 2,045 yuan, meaning CATL’s base pay exceeds this by nearly 300 yuan. The latest 150-yuan increase applies to the base salary, meaning workers who want higher earnings must rely on night shifts, overtime, and allowances. Since overtime pay is calculated based on the base wage, the raise could translate to an additional 300-500 yuan per month—enough for an extra meal at a local eatery each workday.
CATL’s financial performance has been strong this year, with Q1-Q3 revenue nearing 300 billion yuan and net profit reaching 49 billion yuan, up 36.2% year-on-year. This growth was achieved through the hard work of both employees and founder Robin Zeng. Some media outlets estimate that raising monthly wages by 500 yuan for 100,000 frontline workers would cost CATL an additional 580 million yuan annually. Notably, the policy takes effect on January 1, 2025, coinciding with a 200-yuan daily incentive for Spring Festival attendance—a move aimed at retaining year-end job seekers.
Critics, however, argue that CATL’s workers deserve more. In 2024, each employee generated an average of 2.74 million yuan in revenue and 384,000 yuan in net profit. Some netizens suggest allocating 9 billion yuan—the "loose change" from the 49 billion yuan net profit—to workers, which would mean an extra 6,700 yuan per month per employee.
Robin Zeng, a fan of Jin Yong’s novels and the character Linghu Chong, has led by example. CATL’s 6.5% raise outpaces Fujian province’s upcoming 4% minimum wage hike. Critics like Hu Xijin argue that high-tech firms should further increase wages, claiming their impact on national income and employment lags behind the real estate sector’s heyday.
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not represent any financial platform’s stance.
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