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Shenzhen’s residence card offers little new for migrant workers

Shenzhen’s new residence card has been heralded in the official Chinese media as an important step towards reform of the household registration (hukou) system and the elimination of discrimination against migrant workers. CLB contends that the new card is little more than a cosmetic exercise that does not significantly improve the lives of migrant workers and only really benefits the police. Photograph by 2dogs @ flickr.com

Migrant workers worst hit by textile industry slowdown

The global economic slowdown, combined with increased mechanization in the textile industry, has made life extremely difficult for unskilled migrant workers in China’s silk capital, Shengze. Many factories have halted production and laid workers off. Photograph by onekell @ flickr.com

China Coal refuses any compensation after the death of long-serving employee

One of China’s largest and most profitable coal companies has refused to give “one cent” to the widower of an employee of 26 years because it claimed her death was not work-related. Sun Shengqiang describes his year-long struggle for justice against a cold and unfeeling corporate giant.

No Way Out: A report on the human cost of China’s economic miracle

A new report by CLB and Canada’s Rights and Democracy reveals how the lives of millions of workers were thrown into turmoil during the wholesale privatization of China’s state-owned enterprises in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Photo of abandoned SOE in Liaoning by Sonya@flickr.com

CLB's Labour Rights Litigation Programme

Litigation is one of the few avenues open to ordinary Chinese workers seeking redress for violations of their labour rights. CLB is committed to helping workers bring law suits against employers and government agencies across the entire spectrum of labour issues from non-payment of wages and benefits to discrimination and workplace injuries.

Dongguan court’s dubious ruling in Nokia HBV discrimination case

A Dongguan court on 22 October 2008 ruled against a plaintiff who was seeking 500,000 yuan in psychological damages after being refused employment at Nokia (China) because of his Hepatitis B (HBV) status. However, key evidence was not heard by the court. Photo by Pierrick Blons

Bosses across China skip town leaving huge unpaid wage bills

It is not just in China’s export orientated manufacturing hub, the Pearl River Delta, that company bosses are leaving workers with unpaid wages. The global economic crisis is affecting all of China’s eastern provinces, and more and more bosses are responding by cutting and running. Photo by phinalanji@flickr.com