In July 2009, Zhang Haichao voluntarily underwent an operation to open up his chest in order to prove he was suffering from the fatal lung disease pneumoconiosis. Photograph of Zhang by Yanzhou Metropolis Daily

China Labour Bulletin appears in the following article. Copyright remains with the original publisher.

30 July 2009. Beijing.
From The Economist Print Edition

What lies behind the gruesome death of a manager at Tonghua Iron and Steel?

China Labour Bulletin has written to major electronics companies, including Apple, Nokia and Motorola, urging them to investigate reports of excessive overtime, management abuse and the firing of striking workers at Wintek Dongguan Masstop, one of their major suppliers in China.

On the 20th anniversary of the crushing of the pro-democracy movement in Beijing, CLB Director, Han Dongfang, expresses the hope that China’s current generation of civil rights defenders can realize the dreams of the Tiananmen Square protesters, but without further bloodshed. Photo by Chamarisk.

China Labour Bulletin appears in the following article. Copyright remains with the original publisher.

Sunday 24 May 2009

By: Claire Harvey

On a trip to China, Claire Harvey saw first-hand why it's so hard for Aussie clothing manufacturers to compete with cheap Chinese labour.

It is lunchtime at the Wen Ling garment factory and the clatter of sewing-machines gives way to laughing chatter, as young Chinese workers jostle and flirt their way to the tea-room.

CLB contributed this commentary to The Guardian newspaper. Copyright The Guardian.

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Those western firms concerned about Chinese workers' rights should establish a legal fund to help them sue factory bosses

Table of Contents

Part one: Those left behind

Part two: Under the same blue sky? Rural migrant children in urban China

What does the ACFTU consider its role to be: Is it a defender of workers’ rights or a servant of the Chinese Communist Party and government? A new report from CLB explores the complex identity of China’s official trade union. Photo by SJ photography

The global economic crisis has prompted several Chinese officials to make short-sighted comments. However, none have been more damaging than ACFTU Vice-Chair Sun Chunlan’s claim that the union needs to guard against hostile forces infiltrating the ranks of migrant workers. Photo by Saad Akhtar.

Labour related lawsuits nearly doubled last year, reflecting the sharp increase in factory closures and wage defaults, workers increased awareness of their rights and their willingness to seek redress for rights violations through the judicial system. Shen Deyong, vice-president of the Supreme People’s Court, told a Beijing press conference on 3 March that the number of labor-related lawsuits filed in 2008 jumped by 95 percent compared with 2007, the largest increase for all types of lawsuit.