Li Wangyang, a veteran labour activist who was only released from a ten year prison term last year, was found dead, hanging from a window in his hospital room, on 6 June; his family told the media yesterday.
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Because China currently lacks effective democratically elected unions that can represent workers in disputes, workers are often left with no option but to strike and stage public demonstrations in support of their demands. This leads them open to criminal prosecution, and these cases CLB will endeavor to provide a robust defense for them.
Well-known democracy campaigner and workers’ rights activist Hu Mingjun is to be released from prison on 28 May after serving an 11 year prison term for “subversion of state power,” Human Rights in China reported today. He is believed to be in very poor health.
Two workers were held in police detention for 26 days for allegedly imprisoning their factory manager in a dispute over unpaid pension contributions. They were eventually released on 29 April but the police have refused to say if the workers will be charged or not.
Liu Hanhuang, a 26 year-old migrant worker from Guizhou who dropped out of school after graduating primary school was on 2 November sentenced to death (suspended for two years) and ordered to pay more than 1.2 million yuan in compensation for murdering two managers, and severely injuring a third, at a Dongguan factory in June.
One of China’s best known workers leaders, Yao Fuxin, was released from prison after serving his full sentence of seven years for “subversion of state power,” his family confirmed on Monday 16 March.
About 600 former workers from the Tieshu Textile Factory in Suizhou City, Hubei Province are seeking payment of large sums of back wages owing to them since the factory was declared bankrupt in early 2004. The workers had publicly campaigned for over a year, holding numerous mass public protests in Suizhou City, but when all their efforts proved in vain they finally took the drastic step of blocking the main railway line for several hours. The protest action was forcibly dispersed by the police and six of the workers were arrested and charged with criminal offences.
The Stella shoe workers' protest represents a milestone, both for China Labour Bulletin and for China's labour movement as a whole. CLB first became involved in this case in late April 2004 after learning of mass protests that had taken place at two shoe factories in Dongguan, both owned by the Taiwanese firm Stella International. The first protest took place at the Xing Xiong Shoe Factory, and involved more than 4000 workers. The second occurred two days later at the Xing Ang Shoe Factory, and involved 1000 workers.
