1
W
ORKER
R
IGHTS
Freedom of Association
China’s laws and practices continue to contravene international
standards on freedom of association. Chinese workers are not free
to form or join trade unions of their own choosing.
1
The PRC Trade
Union Law largely eliminates workers’ right to freedom of associa-
tion by requiring that all union activity be approved by and orga-
nized under the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU),
an organization under the direction of the Chinese Communist
Party and government.
2
The ACFTU Constitution and the PRC
Trade Union Law mandate that the ACFTU protect the legitimate
rights and interests of workers while ‘‘preserving the leadership of
the Communist Party’’ and broader interests of the government.
3
Reportedly 280 million workers, over 36 percent of China’s working
population in 2013, were members of the ACFTU in 6.3 million
unionized enterprises by mid-2013.
4
As an adjunct of the Party and
government, the ACFTU continues largely to prioritize social sta-
bility in its approach to labor relations,
5
garnering criticism from
labor activists and workers for failing to protect workers’ rights
and interests.
6
Changing socio-economic conditions in China have led several
high-level union and government officials to advocate for the need
for union reform. During the ACFTU’s 16th National Congress in
October 2013, ACFTU Chairman Li Jianguo acknowledged that the
ACFTU was failing to meet the challenges of ‘‘a series of new cir-
cumstances and problems’’ brought on by unbalanced development,
stating that it needed to do more to protect the social and economic
rights of workers.
7
In a speech in April 2013, President Xi Jinping
urged the ACFTU to innovate and ‘‘adjust to social changes’’ to
‘‘comply with the demands of the times.’’
8
A small number of municipal and lower level trade unions have
made efforts during the Commission’s 2014 reporting year to adopt
a more proactive and engaged role with workers.
9
In March 2014,
the Shenzhen Municipal Trade Union demanded that IBM rein-
state 20 worker representatives fired during a 10-day strike at an
IBM factory in Shenzhen municipality, Guangdong province.
10
The
union reportedly sent lawyers to assist the fired workers in obtain-
ing compensation and filing for arbitration after IBM refused to re-
instate them.
11
At the same time, labor advocates and media re-
ports indicate ACFTU support for workers has remained largely
absent amid continued labor unrest, and in those cases where
unions have taken a more engaged role with workers, those actions
have been mostly reactive and limited to issuing statements of con-
cern and support.
12
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Civil Society and Labor Non-Governmental Organizations
Labor non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society
actors have emerged in recent years to play a larger role in promoting
and defending workers’ rights. Chinese labor scholars and activists give
varying estimates of between 50 and 60 labor NGOs in China, predomi-
nantly located in the southern and eastern coastal provinces where
there is a high concentration of migrant workers.
13
Many of these orga-
nizations provide workers with legal and educational services, including
information on labor laws and legal counseling for individual rights vio-
lations.
14
Amid continued labor activism, some labor NGOs have shifted
to providing direct support to workers during collective labor disputes,
including instruction on collective bargaining.
15
In a number of cases
during the 2014 reporting year, labor NGOs worked closely with strik-
ing workers to provide advice on collective action and encourage collec-
tive bargaining with employers.
16
The support of labor NGOs in several
cases was reportedly instrumental in getting workers to avoid conflict
with the authorities and resolve disputes through direct bargaining with
employers.
17
Many labor NGOs still operate informally, however, as
they often are unable to officially register with the authorities.
18
Despite
a loosening of NGO registration requirements in China beginning in
2012, labor NGOs have mostly remained unable to register as ‘‘social or-
ganizations,’’ forcing them either to register as business entities or not
register at all.
19
In addition, labor NGOs have been subject to harass-
ment by officials for engaging in activities considered sensitive.
20
In
April 2014, public security officials in Dongguan municipality,
Guangdong province, detained Zhang Zhiru and Lin Dong, employees at
a Guangdong-based labor rights NGO, amid a large-scale strike at the
Yue Yuen shoe factory in Dongguan.
21
Zhang and Lin had reportedly
been in close contact with striking workers and had been providing
them with assistance at the time of their detention.
22
Collective Bargaining
Collective bargaining in China remains limited in both law and
practice. There is no comprehensive national law on collective bar-
gaining, but rather a series of provisions found in the PRC Trade
Union Law, PRC Labor Contract Law, and PRC Labor Law that
provide a legal framework for negotiating collective contracts and
some process of collective consultation between management and
workers.
23
In addition to national law, a majority of provinces have
also issued provincial-level regulations on negotiating collective
contracts, which in some cases contain provisions prohibiting work-
ers from taking collective action and allowing employers to fire
workers engaged in collective action during the negotiation of a col-
lective contract.
24
In recent years, the ACFTU and government have promoted the
expansion of collective contracts and the strengthening of collective
negotiation mechanisms as essential means for managing labor re-
lations.
25
In April 2014, the Ministry of Human Resources and So-
cial Security, in conjunction with other authorities, including the
ACFTU, published a notice calling for the ‘‘expansion of collective
consultations and coverage of collective contracts,’’ setting a goal to
‘‘ensure the rate of signed collective contracts reaches 80 percent by
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the end of 2015.’’
26
In a development Chinese labor advocates have
described as having the potential to advance labor rights through-
out China, the Guangdong Province People’s Congress began delib-
erations in April 2014 on Draft Regulations on Collective Contracts
and Collective Consultations (Draft Regulations).
27
The Draft Reg-
ulations, initially proposed by the Guangdong Federation of Trade
Unions, require employers to engage in collective negotiations if
more than one-third of workers demand it and protect the right of
workers to strike if employers fail to respond to their demands
within 30 days.
28
At the same time, the Draft Regulations also pro-
hibit workers from striking during negotiations and make them
subject to criminal punishment if company operations are dis-
rupted.
29
The extent to which ACFTU and government initiatives on col-
lective contract and consultation mechanisms expand the space for
greater and more genuine worker representation is unclear. At
present, the collective contract and consultation system remains
weak due in part to ineffective trade union representation.
30
The
ACFTU and its local constituent unions continue to be subordinate
to the interests of the Party, and central and local authorities, in-
cluding in many cases employers as well, preventing them from
properly representing workers in collective negotiations.
31
Top-
down requirements from the government and higher level trade
unions have also led enterprises to enter into formalistic contracts
rather than actually engage in genuine bargaining between man-
agement and trade unions.
32
In many instances, the terms and con-
ditions of collective contracts reflect minimum legal standards in
the locality and reportedly rarely involve actual wage negotiations
or touch on other interests.
33
Workers who requested or took part in collective negotiations
with their employers independent of the officially recognized union
have faced reprisals including forced resignation, firing, and deten-
tion.
34
In May 2013, public security officials detained migrant
worker Wu Guijun in Dongguan municipality, Guangdong province,
for participating in a labor protest.
35
Prior to his detention, Wu
was one of seven independently elected labor representatives cho-
sen to represent workers in collective negotiations with manage-
ment.
36
Authorities indicted Wu in January 2014 for ‘‘gathering a
crowd to disrupt traffic,’’ and tried him in several court hearings,
before releasing him in May and finally dropping the charges in
June.
37
In July 2014, authorities awarded Wu over 74,000 yuan
(US$12,000) in compensation for ‘‘wrongful arrest,’’ but refused his
request for additional compensation for ‘‘mental damages’’ suffered
during his detention.
38
Several Chinese labor experts and lawyers
have called for greater protections for independent labor represent-
atives. In May 2014, several Chinese labor lawyers put forward a
proposal to amend the PRC Trade Union Law to protect workers
who engage in collective negotiations independent of the officially
recognized trade union.
39
At present, only trade union officials and
workers who participate in official union activities are protected
under the PRC Trade Union Law from management retaliation.
40
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Worker Actions
During the Commission’s 2014 reporting period, widespread re-
ports of strikes and demonstrations emerged across a variety of in-
dustries and regions in China.
41
Strikes were often prompted by
labor-related grievances, such as low pay
42
and the nonpayment of
wages and benefits,
43
but have also arisen more recently as a re-
sult of slowed economic growth.
44
Faced with higher labor costs
and a shrinking labor force, many multinational companies and do-
mestic enterprises have sought to restructure their business oper-
ations, relocating and closing down factories.
45
The Chinese govern-
ment has, in part, encouraged this change in an effort to shift from
investment- to consumption-driven economic growth, endorsing
policies that reduce low-end manufacturing and overcapacity in
other industries.
46
In many cases, workers are not consulted by
their employers, local ACFTU constituent unions, or local officials
in advance of restructuring plans, leading to conflicts over com-
pensation and remaining contractual obligations.
47
In other cases,
strikes have emerged in response to cost-cutting measures that
have threatened workers’ wages and benefits.
48
The reported increase in labor unrest comes amid widespread
economic and demographic shifts that observers contend are
emboldening workers and affording them greater bargaining power
in the workplace.
49
Chinese and international labor experts indi-
cate workers are increasingly driven by a sense of social and eco-
nomic rights, including ‘‘earning a living wage, creating a safe work
environment and being treated with dignity and respect by the em-
ployer.’’
50
Growing labor shortages and opportunities in China’s ex-
panding service sector are strengthening workers’ demands for
higher pay and better work conditions and benefits.
51
Moreover, ex-
perts contend the increased activism of workers reflects a growing
awareness of their rights and a greater confidence in taking collec-
tive action to redress workplace grievances.
52
The proliferation of
social media and inexpensive smartphones have also made it easier
for workers to mobilize and increase public awareness of strikes.
53
Chinese authorities have had varied responses to labor protests,
in some cases tolerating strikes that are limited to demands for
wages and benefits.
54
At the same time, the Commission continued
to observe reports of authorities using force against or detaining
demonstrating workers.
55
The right to strike is not protected under
Chinese law, leaving workers vulnerable to retaliation by their em-
ployers and criminal prosecution.
56
In August 2013, security offi-
cials in Guangzhou municipality, Guangdong province, detained 12
security guards after they staged a rooftop demonstration in pro-
test over the refusal of their employer to continue discussion over
grievances related to their employment contracts and social insur-
ance.
57
Authorities charged the guards with ‘‘gathering a crowd to
disturb social order,’’ tried them in January 2014 at the Baiyun
District People’s Court in Guangzhou, and sentenced nine of them
in April 2014 to various prison terms ranging between eight and
nine months.
58
Authorities released the majority of the guards the
day of or several days after their sentencing on the basis of time
served, while three other guards were released in May.
59
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Migrant Workers
Migrant workers—rural residents who have left their place of
residence to seek non-agricultural jobs in the cities—remain largely
marginalized and vulnerable to mistreatment. China’s total mi-
grant population grew by 2.4 percent in 2013 from the previous
year to more than 268 million, close to one-fifth of China’s total
population.
60
Over 46 percent of these workers were born after
1980 and exhibit different characteristics from previous genera-
tions of migrants, including higher levels of education, a greater
understanding of their rights, and a stronger desire to integrate
into urban society.
61
Many migrant workers, however, remain un-
able to obtain residency status in the cities where they live and
work due to the continued enforcement of the household registra-
tion system (huji zhidu), effectively barring them from equal access
to public services, including social security and public education.
62
Faced with the difficulty of accessing public services, an estimated
61 million migrant children have been left behind by their parents
to be raised in the countryside.
63
These ‘‘left-behind children’’
(liushou ertong) have been found to suffer from depression and
other forms of emotional distress, and are reportedly more prone to
drop out of school or suffer sexual abuse.
64
Migrant workers addi-
tionally continue to have low levels of labor and social welfare pro-
tection. According to a report published in May 2014 by the Na-
tional Bureau of Statistics of China, the number of migrant work-
ers in 2013 who signed labor contracts with their employers de-
clined by 2.6 percent to slightly more than 40 percent.
65
The report
also indicated that even with a slight increase from the previous
year, only a minority of migrants who worked outside their place
of residence had pensions (15.7 percent), medical insurance (17.6
percent), occupational injury insurance (28.5 percent), and unem-
ployment insurance (9.1 percent).
66
Dispatch Labor
The overuse and abuse of dispatch labor continues to be a signifi-
cant problem despite legal reforms carried out in recent years to
limit its proliferation. Dispatch labor (laowu paiqian) refers to an
employment arrangement whereby a worker signs an employment
contract with a labor dispatch agency and is then sourced by the
agency to work for another employer.
67
Dispatch workers are often
hired as long-term employees in violation of law,
68
and in many
cases paid lower wages and social insurance benefits than directly
hired workers.
69
While no current official statistics are available on
the extent of dispatch labor in China, 2011 estimates by the All-
China Federation of Trade Unions put the total number at 37 mil-
lion or 13.1 percent of all urban workers.
70
As the Commission observed in 2013, the National People’s Con-
gress amended the PRC Labor Contract Law in December 2012 to
address the issue of dispatch labor.
71
The amendments included
clearer definitions of the types of positions for which dispatch labor
could be used, raised business standards for labor dispatch agen-
cies, and required employers to apply the same compensation
standards to both directly hired workers and dispatch laborers.
72
Despite these changes, Chinese media has continued to report on
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the misuse of dispatch labor following the amendments coming into
effect in July 2013.
73
Citing overall weak enforcement of the new
regulations, reports indicated that no significant changes had been
made in terms of increased wages or benefits for dispatch work-
ers.
74
Chinese labor scholars have indicated equal pay provisions in
the law remain difficult to achieve in part because workers lack
strong bargaining power.
75
In some cases, employers were found to
be actively circumventing the law, decreasing welfare benefits or
citing a lack of clear implementing measures as a reason for not
fully complying with the regulations.
76
In January 2014 the Ministry of Human Resources and Social
Security issued the Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatch (Interim
Provisions), effective March 2014.
77
The Interim Provisions expand
on the 2012 amendments made to the PRC Labor Contract Law,
clarifying regulations on dispatch labor set out in the 2012 amend-
ments and providing further guidance on their implementation.
78
The Interim Provisions detail obligations for both the employer and
labor dispatch agency on the signing and termination of labor con-
tracts,
79
social insurance contributions,
80
and work-related inju-
ries,
81
among other issues. The Interim Provisions also restrict the
number of dispatch workers an employer is allowed to hire to 10
percent of their total workforce.
82
Employers that currently exceed
this threshold are allowed a two-year transition period to adjust to
the new restrictions.
83
The heavy reliance on dispatch labor by a
number of industries, including state-owned enterprises, banking
and financial institutions, and government organizations, still pre-
sents a clear challenge to achieving the 10 percent limit outlined
in the Interim Provisions.
84
In some cases, dispatch workers were
found to account for between 50 and 70 percent of the total work-
force in some enterprises.
85
Child Labor
The use of child labor in China remained a problem during the
past reporting year. As a member of the International Labour Or-
ganization (ILO), China has ratified the two core conventions on
the elimination of child labor.
86
The PRC Labor Law and related
legislation also prohibit the employment of minors under 16 years
old, and both national and local legal provisions prohibiting child
labor stipulate fines and other punishments for illegally hiring mi-
nors.
87
While the extent of child labor in China is unclear in part
because the government does not release data on the issue,
88
do-
mestic media reports from the past year indicate that the use of
child labor remained evident in the electronics manufacturing in-
dustry, with instances also reported in other sectors.
89
Labor ex-
perts contend a tightening labor market has led employers in some
cases to hire underage workers to resolve labor shortages and re-
duce labor costs.
90
Poverty and limited access to educational re-
sources were also found to be motivating factors for child workers
in a number of cases.
91
In December 2013, Chinese media reported
on the discovery of at least nine underage workers from the Yi eth-
nic minority group working in two electronics factories in Shenzhen
municipality, Guangdong province.
92
The underage workers were
found to be from Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan
province, the location of a number of child labor trafficking cases
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reported on in recent years.
93
The December 2013 case follows
similar incidents in 2008 and 2011 in Guangdong involving under-
age workers from the same prefecture,
94
indicating problems in
preventing child labor and the trafficking of underage workers re-
main significant.
The abuse of student workers in ‘‘work-study’’ programs and
other related activities also continued to be a concern. National
provisions prohibiting child labor provide that ‘‘education practice
labor’’ and vocational skills training organized by schools and other
educational and vocational institutions do not constitute child labor
when such activities do not adversely affect the safety and health
of students.
95
The PRC Education Law also supports schools that
establish work-study programs, provided they do not negatively af-
fect normal studies.
96
The Commission has continued to observe re-
ports,
97
however, of internship programs that violate Chinese law
and appear inconsistent with ILO standards.
98
Prison Labor
The use of forced labor in China’s prison system and in other
forms of detention remains inconsistent with Chinese law and in
violation of international labor standards. Although the Inter-
national Labour Organization’s (ILO) core conventions on forced
and compulsory labor provide an exception for prison labor on con-
dition that the use of such labor is consistent with ILO guide-
lines,
99
international human rights and non-governmental organi-
zations have documented cases in China in which the use of such
labor—for example, in administrative detention facilities—conflicts
with ILO guidelines.
100
The guidelines include provisions, for ex-
ample, that permit prison labor if it is ‘‘exacted from [a] person as
a consequence of a conviction in a court of law’’;
101
in China, how-
ever, administrative detention terms are issued without judicial
process.
102
The ILO guidelines also prohibit the use of forced labor
‘‘as a means of political coercion or education or as a punishment
for holding or expressing political views or views ideologically op-
posed to the established political, social or economic system.’’
103
Amnesty International noted in a 2014 report submitted in ad-
vance of China’s periodic review at the UN Committee on Eco-
nomic, Social and Cultural Rights that ‘‘falun gong practitioners,
activists, and petitioners and human rights defenders’’ had been
subject to arbitrary detention in administrative detention facilities
where forced labor practices are common.
104
Moreover, the use of
prison labor for the purpose of profit-making also contravenes ILO
guidelines prohibiting the use of prison labor ‘‘for the purposes of
economic development.’’
105
Stuart Foster, a U.S. citizen imprisoned
in China in 2013, stated in a National Public Radio broadcast in
May 2014 that Christmas tree lights he assembled in prison report-
edly were sold to ‘‘unwitting U.S. companies.’’
106
The same broad-
cast indicated that a brief search online by National Public Radio
found at least 24 Chinese prisons advertising prison labor to manu-
facture a number of goods.
107
Despite not having ratified either of
the ILO core conventions on forced and compulsory labor, as a
member of the ILO, China remains obligated to respect certain
basic internationally recognized labor rights, including those relat-
ing to forced and compulsory labor.
108
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The announcement in December 2013 of the abolition of reeduca-
tion through labor,
109
a form of administrative detention where in-
dividuals were often forced to work under harsh conditions,
110
was
welcomed by Chinese and international human rights groups.
111
Reports have since emerged, however, indicating that Chinese au-
thorities continue to use alternative forms of arbitrary detention in
which forced labor practices and other human rights violations re-
main commonplace.
112
U.S. government assessments, as well as
international media reports from the past two years, indicate pris-
on labor has been used to manufacture, among other products,
toys, electronics, and clothing.
113
The export to the United States
of products manufactured through the use of forced labor in Chi-
na’s prison system and other forms of detention reportedly con-
tinues despite U.S.-China agreements.
114
The 1992 Memorandum
of Understanding on Prison Labor and 1994 Statement of Coopera-
tion between the United States and China established mechanisms
to safeguard against the export of prison products to the United
States.
115
Despite these agreements, slow and irregular cooperation
by China in responding to U.S. concerns,
116
as well as continued
reports of prison labor exports to the United States,
117
indicate sig-
nificant obstacles remain.
Wages
Wages in China continued to increase this past year, reflecting
growth rates that have seen regular increases in average wage lev-
els over the past two decades amid continued economic growth.
118
Reports suggest structural changes in China’s labor market, in par-
ticular a decline in the growth of the working age population and
continued sporadic labor shortages, are partially responsible for the
upward pressure on wages.
119
Local governments additionally con-
tinued to raise minimum wage levels this past year. The increases
are in keeping with growth targets outlined in the 12th Five-Year
Plan on Employment Promotion issued in 2011, which call for min-
imum wage levels to increase annually by an average of 13 percent
and reach 40 percent of average urban salaries by 2015.
120
During
the 2014 reporting year, the Commission observed reports from
Chinese media of increases in the statutory minimum wage in nine
provincial- and municipal-level areas averaging 13 percent.
121
At the same time, the growth of average wages and minimum
wage levels has slowed over the past three years, while minimum
wage levels in many cities are still far less than the 40 percent tar-
get outlined in the 12th Five-Year Plan.
122
Wages for migrant
workers in particular continue to be well below the national aver-
age. Data published by the National Bureau of Statistics of China
indicated the overall average wage in 2012 was roughly 70 percent
higher than the average wage for migrant workers during the same
period.
123
Reports also indicate rising living expenses, particularly
for food and housing, continued to erode wage gains as workers
spend a greater portion of their income on everyday necessities.
124
Moreover, income inequality between different regions, industrial
sectors, and groups of workers has been found to be steadily in-
creasing.
125
Chinese and international observers have separately
calculated China’s Gini coefficient, a common measure of income
inequality, to range between 0.45 and 0.55.
126
A level over 0.50 is
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considered to indicate severe income inequality and present signifi-
cant risks to social stability.
127
Occupational Safety
Workers in China continue to face significant occupational safety
risks. Systemic problems in implementation and enforcement of
workplace safety laws, as well as a lack of meaningful worker par-
ticipation in workplace decisions that impact health and safety con-
tinue to constrain efforts to reduce industrial accidents.
128
Despite
officially reported deaths from industrial accidents declining by 3.5
percent in 2013,
129
an official from the State Administration for
Work Safety continued to characterize industrial safety overall as
‘‘grim,’’ highlighting a continued lack of effective safety oversight
by central and local authorities.
130
Poor safety management by fac-
tory officials and inadequate supervision by local authorities were
two factors cited in an investigation into an explosion at an auto
parts factory in Jiangsu province in August 2014 that left 75 work-
ers dead and 185 injured.
131
Safety inspectors from the local gov-
ernment had reportedly conducted a safety audit of the factory in
July and officials confirmed a fire occurred at the factory in June,
yet factory management still failed to implement remedial safety
measures.
132
A group of Chinese labor activists and academics
issued a letter following the explosion calling for greater power to
be given to workers to supervise workplace safety and engage in
collective bargaining on safety-related issues in light of the failure
of factory management and local government to protect workers.
133
Officially reported coal mine deaths declined in 2013 by 24.4 per-
cent,
134
but human rights organizations suggested the actual num-
ber of deaths could be significantly higher due to under-
reporting.
135
Even with the reported decline, the death toll for
workers in China’s coal industry reportedly remained more than 10
times higher than the rate in developed countries.
136
Chinese
media also continued to report on cases in which mine managers
and local officials concealed information about mine accidents.
137
During the same time period, the number of accidents and deaths
that occurred in other resource extraction industries reportedly in-
creased.
138
Reports from labor NGOs and Chinese and international media
continue to highlight workplace abuses and poor working condi-
tions throughout China.
139
Low wages,
140
exposure to harmful sub-
stances,
141
and harsh management practices
142
were cited as some
of the major problems workers face. Excessive overtime in violation
of Chinese labor law in particular continues to be a common prob-
lem.
143
The director of the International Labour Organization’s
China office called excessive overtime in China’s white-collar indus-
tries ‘‘worrying as a physical and mental-health hazard.’’
144
An
April 2014 Chinese academic report found that close to 700 work-
ers in the manufacturing hub of Dongguan municipality,
Guangdong province had died in their sleep since 2004.
145
Labor
advocates and academics attributed the deaths in part to overwork,
stating that low wages encouraged workers to work overtime.
146
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Occupational Health
Many workers in China continue to face significant occupational
health risks. Inadequate government supervision of industrial com-
pliance with occupational health standards,
147
illegal practices by
employers,
148
and a lack of training and knowledge among workers
about health in the workplace
149
reportedly contribute to the high
risk of contracting occupational disease. According to figures from
the National Health and Family Planning Commission, over 87
percent of officially reported cases of occupational disease in 2013
were for the lung disease pneumoconiosis.
150
The Chinese NGO
Love Save Pneumoconiosis estimates that six million migrant
workers are afflicted with pneumoconiosis and that migrant work-
ers represent 90 percent of all pneumoconiosis cases in China.
151
Obtaining compensation for occupational disease remains a difficult
and protracted process, particularly for those with pneumo-
coniosis.
152
According to a July 2014 report published by Love Save
Pneumoconiosis, only 17.3 percent of migrant workers diagnosed
with pneumoconiosis obtained compensation, while 82.4 percent did
not receive any medical treatment.
153
Working Conditions at Foxconn Factories
In December 2013, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) released its final
report on the implementation of labor reforms at three factories owned
by Foxconn (one in Chengdu municipality, Sichuan province, and two in
Shenzhen Special Economic Zone),
154
a Taiwan-based multinational
electronics manufacturer
155
and supplier for Apple.
156
This was the
third and final progress report FLA released assessing implementation
of labor reforms developed by Apple and Foxconn in response to the dis-
closure of poor working conditions at these Foxconn factories in March
2012.
157
The report stated Foxconn had made ‘‘steady progress’’ in im-
proving working conditions in the 15 months to December 2013, includ-
ing reducing working hours and constructing additional exits and toilets
at the three factories.
158
At the same time, the report also indicated
that all three factories continued to not be ‘‘in compliance with Chinese
labor law regarding hours of work,’’ and that overtime in excess of the
legal limit remained a problem during certain periods in 2013.
159
Inde-
pendent experts criticized the report for in part ‘‘ignor[ing] crucial re-
forms promised by Apple and Foxconn,’’ including wage increases and
improving worker representation.
160
The report stated FLA expected
‘‘Apple will continue to monitor compliance at Foxconn,’’
161
however it
remains to be seen what measures it will take to remedy remaining
problems at Foxconn factories. In addition, international and Chinese
media reports published throughout the 2014 reporting year uncovered
labor rights abuses at other Chinese manufacturers for Apple,
162
high-
lighting the continuing problems Apple faces in managing its supply
chain in China.
Notes to Section II—Worker Rights
1
The Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders and a Coalition of NGOs, Report Sub-
mitted to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for Its Review at the 52nd
Session of the Second Report by the People’s Republic of China on Its Implementation of the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, April 2014, 4, para. 15.
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11
2
PRC Trade Union Law [Zhonghua renmin gongheguo gonghui fa], passed and effective 3
April 92, amended 27 October 01, arts. 9–12; Constitution of the Chinese Trade Unions
[Zhongguo gonghui zhangcheng], adopted 26 September 03, amended 21 October 08, arts. 9, 11.
3
Ibid., arts. 4–6; Constitution of the Chinese Trade Unions [Zhongguo gonghui zhangcheng],
adopted 26 September 03, amended 21 October 08, General Principles.
4
Chang Hong, ‘‘ACFTU Membership Reaches 280 Million, Minimum Wage Standards Annual
Average Increase 12.6 Percent’’ [Quanguo gonghui huiyuan da 2.8 yi ren zuidi gongzi biaozhun
nianjun tigao 12.6%], People’s Daily, 11 October 13. According to data published in January
2014 by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, there were 769.77 million employed persons
(jiuye renyuan) in China by the end of 2013. See National Bureau of Statistics of China, ‘‘2013
National Economic Development Steady for the Better’’ [2013 nian guomin jingji fazhan wen
zhong xiang hao], 20 January 14.
5
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, ‘‘The World’s Largest Union: ‘A Capitalist Running Dog,’ ’’ For-
eign Policy, 23 April 14; Tom Mitchell and Demetri Sevastopulo, ‘‘China Labour Activism: Cross-
ing the Line,’’ Financial Times, 7 May 14.
6
Geoffrey Crothall, ‘‘In China, Labour Activism Is Waking Up,’’ South China Morning Post,
1 May 14; John Ruwitch, ‘‘Fired From Walmart, Mrs. Wang Is Now Gunning for China’s State
Labor Union,’’ Reuters, 11 May 14.
7
‘‘Chairman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions Li Jianguo: Firmly Grasp the
Themes of the National Workers’ Movement’’ [Zhonghua quanguo zonggonghui zhuxi li jianguo:
laolao bawo woguo gongren yundong de shidai zhuti], People’s Daily, 5 December 13; Chang
Hong et al., ‘‘Li Jianguo: Advance Migrant Workers and Workers in Challenging Enterprises
Fair Rights to Social Security’’ [Li jianguo: cujin nongmingong, kunnan qiye zhigong gongping
xiangyou shehui baozheng], People’s Daily, 18 October 13.
8
‘‘Speech at All-China Model Worker Representative Forum’’ [Zai tong quanguo laodong
mofan daibiao zuotan shi de jianghua], People’s Daily, 29 April 13.
9
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Searching for the Union: The Workers’ Movement in China 2011–
13,’’ February 2014, 38–40.
10
Huang Dan, ‘‘Trade Union Offers Legal Aid to 20 Workers Sacked by IBM’’ [Gonghui wei
20 ming IBM bei chao yuangong tigong fa yuan], Southern Metropolitan Daily, 13 March 14;
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Shenzhen Trade Union Seeks To Help Striking Workers Sacked by
IBM,’’ 13 March 14.
11
Ibid.
12
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘The Fast Emerging Labour Movement in China and Its Impact on
the Country’s Future,’’ 6 September 13; Tom Mitchell and Demetri Sevastopulo, ‘‘China Labour
Activism: Crossing the Line,’’ Financial Times, 7 May 14.
13
Mimi Lau, ‘‘Fertile Ground for Labour Activism,’’ South China Morning Post, 2 May 14;
‘‘Douban Columnist Shangguan Luan Interview With Wang Jiangsong: Most Important Channel
To Remove Gap Between Intellectuals and Labor—Chinese Labor NGOs Present and Future’’
[Douban wang zhuanlan zuojia shangguan luan zhuanfang wang jiangsong: datong zhishifenzi
yu laogong gehe de zhongyao tongdao—zhongguo laogong NGO de dangxia yu weilai], Wang
Jiangsong Sina Blog, 20 May 14; Wang Jing, ‘‘Guangdong Labor Bill Puts HK Companies, Work-
ers at Odds,’’ Caixin, 23 June 14.
14
‘‘Douban Columnist Shangguan Luan Interview With Wang Jiangsong: Most Important
Channel To Remove Gap Between Intellectuals and Labor—Chinese Labor NGOs Present and
Future’’ [Douban wang zhuanlan zuojia shangguan luan zhuanfang wang jiangsong: datong
zhishifenzi yu laogong gehe de zhongyao tongdao—zhongguo laogong NGO de dangxia yu
weilai], Wang Jiangsong Sina Blog, 20 May 14; Ivan Franceschini, ‘‘Labour NGOs in China: A
Real Force for Political Change? ’’ China Quarterly, Vol. 218 (June 2014), 482–83.
15
Geoffrey Crothall, ‘‘Striking Behavior: Chinese Workers Discover a Weapon Against Labour-
Market Turmoil,’’ openDemocracy, 29 March 14; ‘‘Douban Columnist Shangguan Luan Interview
With Wang Jiangsong: Most Important Channel To Remove Gap Between Intellectuals and
Labor—Chinese Labor NGOs Present and Future’’ [Douban wang zhuanlan zuojia shangguan
luan zhuanfang wang jiangsong: datong zhishifenzi yu laogong gehe de zhongyao tongdao—
zhongguo laogong NGO de dangxia yu weilai], Wang Jiangsong Sina Blog, 20 May 14.
16
See, e.g., China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘The Making of a Labour Activist,’’ 14 November 13; China
Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Playing Hardball: Workers Solidarity Forces Boss To Make Concessions,’’ 7
November 13; Mimi Lau, ‘‘Fertile Ground for Labour Activism,’’ South China Morning Post, 2
May 14.
17
See, e.g., China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘The Making of a Labour Activist,’’ 14 November 13; China
Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Playing Hardball: Workers Solidarity Forces Boss To Make Concessions,’’ 7
November 13.
18
Dexter Roberts, ‘‘China’s Officials Muzzle Labor Activists,’’ Bloomberg Businessweek, 8 May
14; Mimi Lau, ‘‘Fertile Ground for Labour Activism,’’ South China Morning Post, 2 May 14.
19
Ibid.
20
Mimi Lau, ‘‘Fertile Ground for Labour Activism,’’ South China Morning Post, 2 May 14;
Ivan Franceschini, ‘‘Labour NGOs in China: A Real Force for Political Change? ’’ China Quar-
terly, Vol. 218 (June 2014), 482–84.
21
‘‘Assisting Striking Workers at Dongguan Yue Yuen in Rights Defense, Two Labor Organi-
zation Staff ‘Go Missing’ ’’ [Zhu dongguan yu yuan gongren bagong weiquan liang laogong zuzhi
chengyuan ‘‘bei shizong’’], Radio Free Asia, 23 April 14; Rights Defense Network, ‘‘Shenzhen
Labor Organization Staff Taken Away by Police in Dongguan’’ [Shenzhen laogong zuzhi
yuangong zai dongguan bei jingfang daizou], 13 April 14. For more information on the detention
of Lin Dong, see the Commission’s Political Prisoner Database record 2014-00171.
22
‘‘Assisting Striking Workers at Dongguan Yue Yuen in Rights Defense, Two Labor Organi-
zation Staff ‘Go Missing’ ’’ [Zhu dongguan yu yuan gongren bagong weiquan liang laogong zuzhi
chengyuan ‘‘bei shizong’’], Radio Free Asia, 23 April 14; ‘‘Chinese Shoe Strike Activist Held on
Public Order Charges,’’ Radio Free Asia, 30 April 14.
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12
23
Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, Submission to the Committee on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on the Implementation of the International Covenant on Eco-
nomic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
(HKSAR) and the Mainland, China, March 2014; Chris King-Chi Chan and Elaine Sio-ieng Hui,
‘‘The Development of Collective Bargaining in China: From ‘Collective Bargaining by Riot’ to
‘Party State-Led Wage Bargaining,’ ’’ China Quarterly, Vol. 217 (March 2014), 226.
24
Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, Submission to the Committee on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on the Implementation of the International Covenant on Eco-
nomic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
(HKSAR) and the Mainland, China, March 2014.
25
‘‘Zhang Jianguo: Status and Purpose of Constructing a Collective Consultation System in
Deepening Reform’’ [Zhang jianguo: jiti xieshang zhidu jianshe zai shenhua gaige zhong de diwei
zuoyong], Workers’ Daily, 22 April 14; Wang Jiaoping et al., ‘‘Labor Capital Collective Consulta-
tions Three Year Work Plan Mission Complete’’ [Gongzi jiti xieshang gongzuo san nian guihua
renwu wancheng], All-China Federation of Trade Unions, 25 December 13.
26
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Notice Regarding Promoting Implemen-
tation of Collective Contract System Attack Plan [Guanyu tuijin shishi jiti hetong zhidu gong
jian jihua de tongzhi], 14 April 14.
27
Mimi Lau, ‘‘Guangdong Collective Bargaining Proposal Seen as Bellwether for China,’’
South China Morning Post, 6 July 14; Wang Jing, ‘‘Wrestling With Collective Labor Consulta-
tions’’ [Jueli laogong jiti xieshang], Caixin, 16 June 14; Wang Jing, ‘‘Guangdong Labor Bill Puts
HK Companies, Workers at Odds,’’ Caixin, 23 June 14.
28
Wang Jing, ‘‘Guangdong Labor Bill Puts HK Companies, Workers at Odds,’’ Caixin, 23 June
14; Wang Jing, ‘‘Wrestling With Collective Labor Consultations’’ [Jueli laogong jiti xieshang],
Caixin, 16 June 14.
29
Ibid.
30
Wang Jing, ‘‘Wrestling With Collective Labor Consultations’’ [Jueli laogong jiti xieshang],
Caixin, 16 June 14; Chris King-Chi Chan and Elaine Sio-ieng Hui, ‘‘The Development of Collec-
tive Bargaining in China: From ‘Collective Bargaining by Riot’ to ‘Party State-Led Wage Bar-
gaining,’ ’’ China Quarterly, Vol. 217 (March 2014), 226–27.
31
Chris King-Chi Chan and Elaine Sio-ieng Hui, ‘‘The Development of Collective Bargaining
in China: From ‘Collective Bargaining by Riot’ to ‘Party State-Led Wage Bargaining,’ ’’ China
Quarterly, Vol. 217 (March 2014), 227.
32
Ibid., 226.
33
Ibid.
34
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Protecting Workers’ Representatives,’’ 7 December 12. See also ‘‘De-
tention of Labor Representative Highlights Challenges for Collective Bargaining in China,’’ Con-
gressional-Executive Commission on China, 20 December 13.
35
‘‘Worker Representative Faces Criminal Responsibility, 10 Labor Organizations Issue Joint
Protest Declaration’’ [Gongren daibiao mianlin xingze shi laogong zuzhi lianshu kangyi], Radio
Free Asia, 26 September 13. See also ‘‘Detention of Labor Representative Highlights Challenges
for Collective Bargaining in China,’’ Congressional-Executive Commission on China, 20 Decem-
ber 13. For additional information on Wu Guijun’s case, see the Commission’s Political Prisoner
Database record 2013-00316.
36
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Public Outcry Grows Over Shenzhen Labour Activist’s Five Month
Detention,’’ 18 October 13. See also ‘‘Detention of Labor Representative Highlights Challenges
for Collective Bargaining in China,’’ Congressional-Executive Commission on China, 20 Decem-
ber 13. For additional information on Wu Guijun’s case, see the Commission’s Political Prisoner
Database record 2013-00316.
37
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Third Hearing in Trial of Labour Activist Wu Guijun Gets Under-
way in Shenzhen,’’ 13 May 14; China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Shenzhen Authorities Drop Charges
Against Labour Activist Wu Guijun,’’ 9 June 14. For additional information on Wu Guijun’s case,
see the Commission’s Political Prisoner Database record 2013-00316.
38
‘‘Beiguo: Labor Leader Wu Guijun, Imprisoned Under Stability Maintenance, Finally Ob-
tains State Compensation’’ [Beiguo: laogong lingxiu wu guijun bei weiwen ruyu zhong huo guojia
peichang], New Citizens’ Movement, 11 August 14.
39
Wang Jing, ‘‘Expert Lawyers Recommend Revising ‘Trade Union Law’ Article’’ [Zhuanjia
lushi jianyi xiugai gonghui fa tiaokuan], Caixin, 23 May 14.
40
Ibid.
41
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Searching for the Union: The Workers’ Movement in China 2011–
13,’’ February 2014, chaps. 2–3, 17, 25–31; Geoffrey Crothall, ‘‘Striking Behaviour: Chinese
Workers Discover a Weapon Against Labour-Market Turmoil,’’ openDemocracy, 29 March 14; Al-
exandra Harney, ‘‘China’s Workforce: Smaller, More Savvy, More Restive,’’ Reuters, 17 April 14.
42
See, e.g., ‘‘Several Hundred Workers at Lutianhua in Sichuan Block Roads Protesting In-
creased Work Hours Without Raise in Wages’’ [Sichuan lutianhua shubai gongren dulu kangyi
gongshi zengjia daiyu wei tigao], Radio Free Asia, 10 February 14; Amy Li, ‘‘Guangzhou Bank
Security Van Workers End Strike After Management Agrees Pay Deal,’’ South China Morning
Post, 17 February 14; ‘‘Close to One Hundred Workers Strike at Foxconn Factory in Chongqing’’
[Fushikang chongqing changfang jin bai gongren bagong], Radio Free Asia, 13 December 13.
43
See, e.g., ‘‘Doctors, Nurses and Workers Suppressed for Petitioning for Wages’’ [Yihu,
gongren shangfang tao xin jun shou zhenya], Radio Free Asia, 6 March 14; ‘‘China Steel Plant
Halts as Workforce Protests Over Unpaid Wages,’’ Radio Free Asia, 16 September 13; ‘‘Over a
Hundred Workers Striking, Blocking Factory Gate in Shanghai Arrested and Beaten, Boss in
Guangdong Runs Out as Workers Block Road, 40 People Arrested’’ [Shanghai yu bai gongren
du chang men bei zhua da guangdong laoban paolu gongren dulu 40 ren bei zhua], Radio Free
Asia, 20 February 14.
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13
44
John Ruwitch, ‘‘China Strike Illustrates Shift in Labor Landscape,’’ New York Times, 10
March 14; China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Searching for the Union: The Workers’ Movement in China
2011–13,’’ February 2014, chap. 1, 7–10.
45
‘‘Striking Chinese Workers Are a Headache for Nike, IBM, Secret Weapon for Beijing,’’
Bloomberg, 6 May 14; Tom Mitchell and Demetri Sevastopulo, ‘‘China Labour Activism: Crossing
the Line,’’ Financial Times, 7 May 14; Alexandra Harney, ‘‘China’s Workforce: Smaller, More
Savvy, More Restive,’’ Reuters, 17 April 14.
46
‘‘Striking Chinese Workers Are a Headache for Nike, IBM, Secret Weapon for Beijing,’’
Bloomberg, 6 May 14; Liyan Qi, ‘‘China To Offer Subsidies to Firms Hit by Overcapacity,’’ Wall
Street Journal, 7 May 14; Wayne Ma and Chuin-Wei Yap, ‘‘First Up on the Reform Plans: Tack-
ling Overcapacity,’’ Wall Street Journal, 15 November 13.
47
See, e.g., ‘‘Week Long Strike at Towada Electronics Factory, Factory Management Issues
Ultimatum’’ [Shihetian dianzi chang bagong yi zhou changfang fa zuihoutongdie], Radio Free
Asia, 13 November 13; ‘‘Two Electronics Factories in Guangdong Strike, Over a Thousand Work-
ers at Shenzhen Factory Participate’’ [Yue liang dianzi chang bagong shenzhen changfang guo
qian ren canyu], Radio Free Asia, 31 October 13; ‘‘Electronics Factory To Close, Two Thousand
Workers Strike for Compensation’’ [Dianzi chang jiang jieye liang qian gongren zheng peichang
bagong], Radio Free Asia, 25 February 14.
48
See, e.g., ‘‘Over a Thousand Workers Strike, Dissatisfied With Benefits Reduction’’ [Qian
duo gongren bagong buman fuli bei xue], Radio Free Asia, 2 December 13; ‘‘Two Large Scale
Factories in Shenzhen Troubled by Strikes’’ [Shenzhen liang daxing gongchang nao gong chao],
Radio Free Asia, 15 November 13; ‘‘Two Thousand Workers Strike at Japanese-Financed
Dongguan Electronics Factory Protesting Salary Deductions’’ [Dongguan ri zi dianzi chang liang
qian gongren bagong kangyi kou xin], Radio Free Asia, 18 September 13.
49
‘‘Striking Chinese Workers Are Headache for Nike, IBM, Secret Weapon for Beijing,’’
Bloomberg, 6 May 14; John Ruwitch, ‘‘China Strike Illustrates Shift in Labor Landscape,’’ Reu-
ters, reprinted in New York Times, 10 March 14; Geoffrey Crothall, ‘‘In China, Labour Activism
Is Waking Up,’’ South China Morning Post, 1 May 14.
50
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Searching for the Union: The Workers’ Movement in China 2011–
13,’’ February 2014, 46; Alexandra Harney, ‘‘China’s Workforce: Smaller, More Savvy, More Res-
tive,’’ Reuters, 17 April 14; Zhang Yiwei, ‘‘Wave of Strikes Shows Neglect of Labor Rights,’’ Glob-
al Times, 22 April 14.
51
Dan Levin, ‘‘Plying Social Media, Chinese Workers Grow Bolder in Exerting Clout,’’ New
York Times, 2 May 14.
52
Zhang Yiwei, ‘‘Wave of Strikes Shows Neglect of Labor Rights,’’ Global Times, 22 April 14;
Geoffrey Crothall, ‘‘Striking Behavior: Chinese Workers Discover a Weapon Against Labour-
Market Turmoil,’’ openDemocracy, 29 March 14.
53
Dan Levin, ‘‘Plying Social Media, Chinese Workers Grow Bolder in Exerting Clout,’’ New
York Times, 2 May 14.
54
‘‘Striking Chinese Workers Are Headache for Nike, IBM, Secret Weapon for Beijing,’’
Bloomberg, 6 May 14; China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Searching for the Union: The Workers’ Movement
in China 2011–13,’’ February 2014, chap. 4, 32–33.
55
See, e.g., ‘‘Construction Contractor Owes 5 Million in Back Wages, Dozens of Workers De-
manding Salaries Encounter Stability Maintenance’’ [Jianzhu chengbaoshang qianxin wu
baiwan shu shi ming gongren tao xin zao weiwen], Radio Free Asia, 16 January 14; ‘‘Over a
Hundred Workers Striking, Blocking Factory Gate in Shanghai Arrested and Beaten, Boss in
Guangdong Runs Out as Workers Block Road, 40 People Arrested’’ [Shanghai yu bai gongren
du chang men bei zhua da guangdong laoban paolu gongren dulu 40 ren bei zhua], Radio Free
Asia, 20 February 14.
56
Alexandra Harney, ‘‘China’s Workforce: Smaller, More Savvy, More Restive,’’ Reuters, 17
April 14.
57
‘‘12 Guangzhou Rights Defense Workers Are Collectively Arrested by Authorities, Citizen
Watch Group in Guo Feixiong Case Calls Again for His Release’’ [Guangzhou 12 ming weiquan
gongren zao dangju jiti daibu guo feixiong an gongmin guancha tuan fasheng zai huyu fang ren],
Radio Free Asia, 3 October 13; China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Hospital Security Guards Detained for
50 Days After Staging Protest,’’ 8 October 13. For more information on the 12 security guards
and their cases, see the following records in the Commission’s Political Prisoner Database: 2014-
00026 on Meng Han; 2014-00027 on Ou Guanglong; 2014-00028 on Ma Qing; 2014-00029 on He
Tao; 2014-00030 on Hu Zhihui; 2014-00031 on Gu Dalu; 2014-00032 on Zhang Ke; 2014-00033
on Zhong Rujiao; 2014-00034 on Li Bin; 2014-00035 on Yang Yanguang; 2014-00036 on Chen
Tao; and 2014-00037 on Zheng Jianfeng.
58
‘‘Verdict Announced Today in First Large Scale Arrest and Prosecution of Rights Defense
Workers: 12 Coworkers Sentenced’’ [Shouci daguimo daibu qisu weiquan gongren jin xuanpan:
12 ming gongyou bei panxing], New Citizens Movement, 15 April 14. For more information on
the 12 security guards and their cases, see the following records in the Commission’s Political
Prisoner Database: 2014-00026 on Meng Han; 2014-00027 on Ou Guanglong; 2014-00028 on Ma
Qing; 2014-00029 on He Tao; 2014-00030 on Hu Zhihui; 2014-00031 on Gu Dalu; 2014-00032
on Zhang Ke; 2014-00033 on Zhong Rujiao; 2014-00034 on Li Bin; 2014-00035 on Yang
Yanguang; 2014-00036 on Chen Tao; and 2014-00037 on Zheng Jianfeng.
59
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Several Guangzhou Hospital Security Guards Vow To Appeal Jail
Sentences,’’ 15 April 14.
60
National Bureau of Statistics of China, ‘‘2013 Nationwide Migrant Worker Monitoring Sur-
vey Report of China’’ [2013 nian quanguo nongmingong jiance diaocha baogao], 12 May 14.
61
Ibid.; ‘‘Investigation on Migrant Workers’ Integration Into Cities: Without Enough Points,
Children Unable To Attend Public Primary Schools’’ [Nongmingong rongru chengshi diaocha:
jifen bugou zinu wufa du gongban xiaoxue], People’s Daily, reprinted in China News Service,
8 December 13; Zhuang Pinghui, ‘‘Chinese Migrants Seek More Stability in New Homes,’’ South
China Morning Post, 11 September 13.
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14
62
Huang Yueping, Beijing Yilian Labor Legal Aid and Research Center, ‘‘When Will Migrant
Workers Circle Around the ‘China Dream? ’’ [Nongmingong heshi yuan shang ‘‘zhongguo
meng’’], 13 September 13; Amnesty International, China: Submission to the UN Committee on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 52nd Session, May 2014, ASA 17/014/2014, March 2014,
chaps. 1.3, 7.
63
Amnesty International, China: Submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, 52nd Session, May 2014, ASA 17/014/2014, March 2014, chaps. 1.3, 7; Dexter
Roberts, ‘‘China’s Migrant Workers Want Their Children,’’ Bloomberg Businessweek, 10 January
14.
64
Ibid.
65
National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2013 Nationwide Migrant Worker Monitoring Sur-
vey Report [2013 nian quanguo nongmingong jiance diaocha baogao], 12 May 14.
66
Ibid.
67
‘‘Labor Dispatch and Labor Agencies’’ [Laowu paiqian yu laowu zhongjie], Jilin Worker
News, reprinted in China Trade Union Net, 12 March 14.
68
Article 66 of the PRC Labor Contract Law states that ‘‘labor dispatch generally carries out
temporary, supplementary, or substitution work positions.’’ PRC Labor Contract Law [Zhonghua
renmin gongheguo laodong hetong fa], issued 29 June 07, effective 1 January 08, amended 28
December 12, art. 66.
69
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Labour Rights Groups and Workers Call for Action on China’s Em-
ployment Agencies,’’ 10 September 13; Lin Jia, ‘‘ ‘Fixed Definition + Fixed Quantity’ Will Limit
Misuse of Labor Dispatch’’ [‘‘Dingxing + dingliang’’ ezhi laowu paiqian lanyong], Workers’ Daily,
27 January 14.
70
Sources citing data from the All-China Federation of Trade Unions in 2011 report the total
number of dispatch workers in China was 37 million; however, other reports provide estimates
that range between 10 million and 60 million. See Zhang Zhilong et al., ‘‘Xinhua Viewpoint:
Labor Dispatch Personnel’s ‘Equal Pay for Unequal Work’ Problem Draws Concern’’ [Xinhua
shidian: laowu paiqian renyuan ‘‘tonggong bu tongchou’’ wenti yin guanzhu], Xinhua, 16 Janu-
ary 13; Mary Gallagher et al., ‘‘China’s 2008 Labor Contract Law: Implementation and Implica-
tions for China’s Workers,’’ World Bank, Policy Research Working Paper 6542, July 2013, 16;
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Labour Rights Groups and Workers Call for Action on China’s Employ-
ment Agencies,’’ 10 September 13.
71
See National People’s Congress, Decision of the Standing Committee of the National Peo-
ple’s Congress Regarding Amendments to ‘‘PRC Labor Contract Law’’ [Quanguo renmin daibiao
dahui changwuweiyuanhui guanyu xiugai ‘‘zhonghua renmin gongheguo laodong hetong fa’’ de
jueding], issued 28 December 12, effective 1 July 13; CECC, 2013 Annual Report, 10 October
13, 71–72.
72
National People’s Congress, Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s
Congress Regarding Amendments to ‘‘PRC Labor Contract Law’’ [Quanguo renmin daibiao dahui
changwuweiyuanhui guanyu xiugai ‘‘zhonghua renmin gongheguo laodong hetong fa’’ de
jueding], issued 28 December 12, effective 1 July 13, arts. 57, 63, 66.
73
Jiang Gang et al., ‘‘To Evade New Regulations, Enterprises Have Hundreds of Tricks, Equal
Pay for Equal Work Becomes ‘A Right on Paper’ ’’ [Guibi xin gui qiye huayang bai chu tonggong
tongchou cheng ‘‘zhi shang quanli’’], China Comment, reprinted in China News Service, 1 No-
vember 13; Wang Weijian et al., ‘‘How To Use ‘Temporary Workers’ Is a Big Headache for Work
Units’’ [‘‘Linshigong’’ za yong, danwei hen touteng], People’s Daily, 6 May 14.
74
Ibid.
75
Jiang Gang et al., ‘‘To Evade New Regulations, Enterprises Have Hundreds of Tricks, Equal
Pay for Equal Work Becomes ‘A Right on Paper’ ’’ [Guibi xin gui qiye huayang bai chu tonggong
tongchou cheng ‘‘zhi shang quanli’’], China Comment, reprinted in China News Service, 1 No-
vember 13.
76
Ibid.
77
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatch
[Laowu paiqian zanxing guiding], issued 26 January 14, effective 1 March 14.
78
‘‘ ‘Fixed Definition + Fixed Quantity’ Will Limit Misuse of Labor Dispatch’’ [‘‘Dingxing +
dingliang’’ ezhi laowu paiqian lanyong], Workers’ Daily, 27 January 14.
79
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatch
[Laowu paiqian zanxing guiding], issued 26 January 14, effective 1 March 14, arts. 5–7, 12–17.
80
Ibid., arts. 9, 18–19.
81
Ibid., art. 10.
82
Ibid., art. 4.
83
Ibid., art. 28.
84
Li Peike, ‘‘Standardizing Labor Dispatch Depends on Strength of Enforcement’’ [Guifan
laowu paiqian guanjian hai yaokan zhixingli], Lanzhou Daily, 13 May 14; Cao Yongquan, ‘‘[Ex-
ploring the Labor Movement] Analysis of Highlights and Effects of the Interim Provisions on
Labor Dispatch’’ [‘‘Gongyun tantao’’ qianxi ‘‘laowu paiqian zhanxing guiding’’ de liangdian ji qi
yingxiang], Workers’ Daily, 18 March 14; Jin Yanming, ‘‘Dispatch Labor Not To Exceed 10 Per-
cent Overall’’ [Paiqian yonggong bude chao zongliang 10%], Southern Daily, 5 March 14.
85
Jin Yanming, ‘‘Dispatch Labor Not To Exceed 10 Percent Overall’’ [Paiqian yonggong bude
chao zongliang 10%], Southern Daily, 5 March 14.
86
ILO Convention (No. 138) Concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, 26 June
73; ILO Convention (No. 182) Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimi-
nation of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, 17 June 99; International Labour Organization,
‘‘Ratifications of C138—Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138),’’ last visited 16 July 14;
International Labour Organization, ‘‘Ratifications of C182—Worst Forms of Child Labour Con-
vention, 1999 (No. 182),’’ last visited 16 July 14.
87
PRC Labor Law [Zhonghua renmin gongheguo laodong fa], passed 5 July 94, effective 1 Jan-
uary 95, amended 10 October 01, arts. 15, 94. Article 15 of the PRC Labor Law prohibits an
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15
employer from hiring minors under the age of sixteen, with exceptions made for institutions of
literature, art, physical culture, and special crafts which may employ minors through prior ex-
amination and approval of the government authorities while also ensuring their right to receive
a compulsory education. See also PRC Law on the Protection of Minors [Zhonghua renmin
gongheguo wei chengnian ren baohu fa], passed 4 September 91, effective 1 January 92, arts.
28, 49. See generally Provisions on Prohibiting the Use of Child Labor [Jinzhi shiyong tonggong
guiding], issued 1 October 02, effective 1 December 02.
88
International Labour Organization, ‘‘Observation (CEACR)—C138—Minimum Age Conven-
tion, 1973 (No. 138)—China,’’ adopted 2010, published 100th ILC Session 2011.
89
‘‘Two Companies in Shenzhen Confirmed To Have Illegally Used Child Labor Are Fined
10,000 and 35,000 Yuan’’ [Shenzhen liang qiye bei zhengshi feifa shiyong tonggong fenbie bei
fa 1 wan he 3.5 wan yuan], Southern Weekend, 21 January 14; ‘‘18 Child Laborers Discovered
in Rented Room in Taizhou, Zhejiang, Youngest Is 10 Years Old’’ [Zhejiang taizhou yi chuzu
wu nei xian 18 ming tonggong zui xiao 10 sui], China Central Television, reprinted in Sohu,
4 April 14.
90
‘‘15 Year Old Child Worker at Taiwanese Subcontractor Factory in Shanghai for Apple Dies
of Illness, 4 Deaths in Half a Year Point to Overwork as Main Cause’’ [Hu pingguo taizi
daigongchang 15 sui tonggong bingshi bannian 4 si guolao bei zhi zhuyin], Radio Free Asia, 13
December 13.
91
‘‘A Factory in Shenzhen Employs Large Number of 12-Year-Old Girls’’ [Shenzhen yi
gongchang guyong daliang 12 sui nutong], Radio Free Asia, 31 December 13; ‘‘18 Child Laborers
Discovered in Rented Room in Taizhou, Zhejiang, Youngest Is 10 Years Old’’ [Zhejiang taizhou
yi chuzu wu nei xian 18 ming tonggong zui xiao 10 sui], China Central Television, reprinted
in Sohu, 4 April 14.
92
‘‘Two Companies in Shenzhen Confirmed To Have Illegally Used Child Labor Are Fined
10,000 and 35,000 Yuan’’ [Shenzhen liang qiye bei zhengshi feifa shiyong tonggong fenbie bei
fa 1 wan he 3.5 wan yuan], Southern Weekend, 21 January 14; ‘‘A Factory in Shenzhen Employs
Large Number of 12 Year Old Girls’’ [Shenzhen yi gongchang guyong daliang 12 sui nutong],
Radio Free Asia, 31 December 13. While 9 workers were confirmed as being underage, investiga-
tors were not able to verify identification information for an additional 20 workers.
93
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Chinese Media Uncovers Another Case of Child Labour Trafficking
in Shenzhen,’’ 30 December 13.
94
Ibid.
95
State Council, Provisions on Prohibiting the Use of Child Labor [Jinzhi shiyong tonggong
guiding], issued 1 October 02, effective 1 December 02, art. 13.
96
PRC Education Law [Zhonghua renmin gongheguo jiaoyu fa], passed 18 March 95, effective
1 September 95, amended 27 August 09, art. 58.
97
See, e.g., Sarah Mishkin, ‘‘Foxconn Admits Student Intern Labour Violations at China
Plant,’’ Financial Times, 10 October 13; ‘‘Foshan 16 Year Old Vocational Student Dies From
Overwork in Forced Internship’’ [Foshan 16 sui zhongzhuansheng bei qiangpo shixi guolao si],
Radio Free Asia, 8 October 13.
98
See ILO Convention (No. 138) Concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, 26
June 73. ILO guidelines on the subject of vocational training, apprenticeships and related in-
ternships vis-a
`
-vis child labor permits such work ‘‘in accordance with conditions prescribed by
the competent authority’’ and in programs involving education, training, or ‘‘guidance or orienta-
tion [on] . . . the choice of an occupation or of a line of training.’’ ILO Recommendation 146
on the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, 26 June 73, item 12.2. Furthermore, the
General Conference of the International Labour Organization adopted Recommendation 146 re-
lating to the 1973 Minimum Age Convention, which urged that measures ‘‘be taken to safeguard
and supervise the conditions in which children and young persons undergo vocational orienta-
tion and training within undertakings, training institutions and schools for vocation or technical
education and to formulate standards for their protection and development.’’ See International
Labour Organization (ILO), Convention Concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour (No. 29),
adopted by 14th ILC Session, 28 June 30, entry into force 1 May 32; International Labour Of-
fice, ‘‘General Survey Concerning the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), and the Aboli-
tion of Forced Labor Convention, 1957 (No. 105),’’ International Labour Conference, 96th Ses-
sion, 2007, 19–20. ILO’s Committee of Experts noted that vocational training does not nec-
essarily constitute compulsory work or service within the meaning of the Forced Labour Conven-
tion (No. 29), but states that ‘‘ . . . vocational training usually entails a certain amount of prac-
tical work, and for that reason, the distinction between training and employment is sometimes
difficult to draw. It is therefore only by reference to the various elements involved in the general
context of a particular scheme of training that it becomes possible to determine whether such
scheme is unequivocally one of vocational training or on the contrary involves the exaction of
work or service within the definition of ‘forced or compulsory labor.’ ’’
99
International Labour Organization, Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour
(No. 29), adopted by 14th ILC Session, 28 June 30, entry into force 1 May 32, art. 2.2(c); Inter-
national Labour Organization, Convention concerning the Abolition of Forced Labour (No. 105),
adopted by 40th ILC Session, 25 June 57, entry into force 17 January 59, art. 1. Article 2.2(c)
of the Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour allows for ‘‘any work or service ex-
acted from any person as a consequence of a conviction in a court of law, provided that the said
work or service is carried out under the supervision and control of a public authority and that
the said person is not hired to or placed at the disposal of private individuals, companies or
associations.’’
100
See, e.g., Asia Catalyst, ‘‘ ‘Custody and Education’: Arbitrary Detention for Female Sex
Workers in China,’’ December 2013, 8, 20, 25–27; Amnesty International, China: Submission to
the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 52nd Session, May 2014, ASA 17/
014/2014, March 2014, 5–6.
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101
International Labour Organization, Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour
(No. 29), adopted by 14th ILC Session, 28 June 30, entry into force 1 May 32, art. 2.2(c).
102
See, e.g., ‘‘China Has Many Forms of Arbitrary Detention, Lawyers Say,’’ Radio Free Asia,
19 November 13; Amnesty International, China: Submission to the UN Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights, 52nd Session, May 2014, ASA 17/014/2014, March 2014, 5–6.
103
International Labour Organization, Convention concerning the Abolition of Forced Labour
(No. 105), adopted by 40th ILC Session, 25 June 57, entry into force 17 January 59, art. 1(a).
104
Amnesty International, China: Submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, 52nd Session, May 2014, ASA 17/014/2014, March 2014, 6.
105
International Labour Organization, Convention concerning the Abolition of Forced Labour
(No. 105), adopted by 40th ILC Session, 25 June 57, entry into force 17 January 59, art. 1(b).
For a report on the use of prison labor for the purpose of profit-making, see Chai Huiqun, ‘‘Con-
fessions of Disgraced RTL Officers’’ [Luoma laojiao jingcha de jiantao], Southern Weekend, 2
May 13.
106
Frank Langfitt, ‘‘U.S. Teacher: I Did Seven Months of Forced Labor in a Chinese Jail,’’ Na-
tional Public Radio, 29 May 14.
107
Ibid.
108
International Labour Organization, ‘‘Ratifications of Fundamental Human Rights Conven-
tions by Country,’’ last visited 6 September 13; International Labour Organization, ILO Declara-
tion on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, 18 June 98, art. 2. Other rights member
countries are obligated to respect include the effective abolition of child labor; the elimination
of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation; and freedom of association and the
‘‘effective recognition’’ of the right to collective bargaining.
109
Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Abolishing Laws
and Regulations Related to Reeducation Through Labor [Quanguo renmin daibiao dahui
changwu weiyuanhui guanyu feizhi youguan laodong jiaoyang falu guiding de jueding], issued
and effective, 28 December 13.
110
‘‘Prospects for Reforming China’s Reeducation Through Labor System,’’ Congressional-
Executive Commission on China, 9 May 13, 2–3, 4, 6; John Dotson and Teresa Vanfleet, U.S.-
China Economic and Security Review Commission, ‘‘Prison Labor Exports From China and Im-
plications for U.S. Policy,’’ 9 July 14, 5.
111
Amnesty International, ‘‘ ‘Changing the Soup but Not the Medicine? ’: Abolishing Re-
Education Through Labour in China,’’ ASA 17/042/2013, 17 December 13, 5; Human Rights
Watch, ‘‘China: Fully Abolish Re-Education Through Labor,’’ 8 January 13; Chinese Human
Rights Defenders, ‘‘[CHRB] Lawyers Warn Against Other Forms of Arbitrary Detention To Re-
place RTL (11/14–11/20, 2013),’’ 21 November 13; Rights Defense Network, ‘‘Statement of Chi-
nese Lawyers for the Protection of Human Rights on Issues Related to the Abolition of the Re-
education Through Labor System’’ [Zhongguo baozhang renquan lushituan lushi dui laojiao
zhidu feizhi xiangguan wenti de shengming], 19 November 13.
112
Amnesty International, ‘‘ ‘Changing the Soup but Not the Medicine? ’: Abolishing Re-
Education Through Labour in China,’’ ASA 17/042/2013, 17 December 13, 8–9, 39–41; Chinese
Human Rights Defenders, ‘‘A Nightmarish Year Under Xi Jinping’s ‘Chinese Dream’: 2013 An-
nual Report on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in China,’’ March 2014, 4–5, 7–8; Am-
nesty International, ‘‘China: Submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights, 52nd Session, May 2014,’’ ASA 17/014/2014, March 2014, 5–6.
113
Frank Langfitt, ‘‘U.S. Teacher: I Did Seven Months of Forced Labor in a Chinese Jail,’’ Na-
tional Public Radio, 29 May 14; U.S. Department of Labor, List of Goods Produced by Child
Labor or Forced Labor, last visited 26 August 14; Lisa Murray and Angus Grigg, ‘‘Qantas in
China Prison Labour Row,’’ Australian Financial Review, 26 June 13; Frank Langfitt, ‘‘Ex-
Inmates Speak Out About Labor Camps as China Considers ‘Reforms,’ ’’ National Public Radio,
22 February 13.
114
See, e.g., Frank Langfitt, ‘‘U.S. Teacher: I Did Seven Months of Forced Labor in a Chinese
Jail,’’ National Public Radio, 29 May 14; John Dotson and Teresa Vanfleet, U.S.-China Economic
and Security Review Commission, ‘‘Prison Labor Exports From China and Implications for U.S.
Policy,’’ 9 July 14, 7–10.
115
Memorandum of Understanding Between the United States of America and the People’s
Republic of China on Prohibiting Import and Export Trade in Prison Labor Products, effective
7 August 92; Statement of Cooperation on the Implementation of the Memorandum of Under-
standing Between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China on Prohib-
iting Import and Export Trade in Prison Labor Products, 14 March 94.
116
Shujie Leng, ‘‘Made in China—But Was It Made in a Prison? ’’ National Public Radio, 29
March 14; John Dotson and Teresa Vanfleet, U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Com-
mission, ‘‘Prison Labor Exports From China and Implications for U.S. Policy,’’ 9 July 14, 5–6,
11–12.
117
See, e.g., Frank Langfitt, ‘‘U.S. Teacher: I Did Seven Months of Forced Labor in a Chinese
Jail,’’ National Public Radio, 29 May 14.
118
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Wages in China,’’ last visited 8 July 14.
119
Julie Zhu, ‘‘Is the Manufacturing Industry Withdrawing From the Pearl River Delta? ’’
[Zhizaoye chili zhusanjiao?], Financial Times, 7 February 14; Qiu Yue, ‘‘Number of Areas Facing
‘Labor Shortage’ Following Holiday, Where Have All the ‘Migrant Workers’ Gone? ’’ [Duo di jie
hou yu ‘‘yonggong huang’’ ‘‘nongmingong’’ dou qu naer le?], Guangming Daily, reprinted in
Xinhua, 22 February 14; Wang Huiyu et al., ‘‘In Many Provinces Cheap Labor Is Increasingly
Difficult To Obtain, Turning Point Is Forcing Transformation and Upgrade’’ [Duo sheng lianjia
laoli huoqu yuelaiyue nan guaidian daolai dao bi zhuangxing shengji], Economic Information
News, reprinted in China News Service, 5 November 13.
120
State Council, Plan on Employment Promotion (2011–2015) [Cujin jiuye guihua (2011–2015
nian)], 24 January 12.
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121
Li Tangning and Zhou Rui, ‘‘9 Provinces and Cities Raise Minimum Wage Standards 13
Percent’’ [9 sheng shi shangtiao zuidi gongzi biaozhun zhang 13%], Economic Information News,
22 April 14.
122
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Wages in China,’’ last visited 8 July 14; Li Tangning and Zhou
Rui, ‘‘9 Provinces and Cities Raise Minimum Wage Standards 13 Percent’’ [9 sheng shi
shangtiao zuidi gongzi biaozhun zhang 13%], Economic Information News, 22 April 14; ‘‘26 Prov-
inces Raise Minimum Wage Levels by Average of 18 Percent, Basically in Line With 2012’’ [26
sheng tiao zuidi gongzi biaozhun pingjun zeng 18% yu 2012 nian jiben chiping], China News,
15 January 14.
123
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Wages in China,’’ last visited 8 July 14; China Labour Bulletin,
‘‘Real Wages for China’s Migrant Workers Stagnate as Cost of Living Escalates,’’ 14 May 14.
124
Ibid.
125
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Wages in China,’’ last visited 8 July 14.
126
National Bureau of Statistics of China, ‘‘2013 National Economy Developing Steadily for
the Better’’ [2013 nian guomin jingji fazhan wen zhong xiang hao], 20 January 14; ‘‘Income In-
equality Now Greater in China Than in US,’’ University of Michigan News, 28 April 14. See
also Yu Xie and Xiang Zhou, ‘‘Income Inequality in Today’s China, ‘‘Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, Vol. 111, No. 19, 13 May 14.
127
Lorraine Woellert and Sharon Chen, ‘‘China’s Income Inequality Surpasses U.S., Posing
Risk for Xi,’’ Bloomberg, 29 April 14.
128
See, e.g., Chen Weiwei, ‘‘State Administration of Work Safety: Comparatively More Acci-
dents Last Year at Central Enterprises Reveals Many Problems’’ [An jian zongju: qunian yangqi
shigu jiao duo baolu zhuduo wenti], Xinhua, 9 January 14; China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Factory
Bosses Detained After Explosion at Jiangsu Auto Plant Kills 69,’’ 3 August 14; Shannon Van
Sant, ‘‘China Factory Blasts Highlight Gaps in Workplace Safety,’’ Voice of America, 4 August
14.
129
State Administration of Work Safety, ‘‘2013 National Work Safety Situation’’ [2013 nian
quanguo anquan shangchan gongzuo qingkuang], 19 February 14.
130
Chen Weiwei, ‘‘State Administration of Work Safety: Comparatively More Accidents Last
Year at Central Enterprises Reveals Many Problems’’ [An jian zongju: qunian yangqi shigu jiao
duo baolu zhuduo wenti], Xinhua, 9 January 14.
131
‘‘Xinhua Insight: Official Blames Factory Blast on ‘Serious Dereliction of Duty,’ ’’ Xinhua,
4 August 14.
132
Ibid.; Zhao Zhijiang, ‘‘Xinmin Evening News: Kunshan’s Pain ‘Mayor Weeps at the Scene’
Again Proving Importance of Safety’’ [Xinmin wanbao: kunshan zhi tong ‘‘shizhang danchang
kuqi’’ zai zheng anquan zhi zhong], Xinmin Evening News, reprinted in People’s Daily, 4 August
14; China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Activists Demand That Workers Be Given the Right To Supervise
Workplace Safety,’’ 4 August 14.
133
Wang Jing, ‘‘Labor Community Calls for Workers To Be Given Power To Supervise Produc-
tion Safety’’ [Laogong jie huyu jiang anquan shengchan jiandu quan jiaogei gongren], Caixin,
4 August 14; China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Activists Demand That Workers Be Given the Right To
Supervise Workplace Safety,’’ 4 August 14.
134
PRC Central Government, ‘‘2013 National Coal Mine Safety Production Achieves Three
Substantial Declines’’ [2013 nian woguo meikuang anquan shengchan shixian san ge dafu
xiajiang], 4 January 14.
135
‘‘Coal Mine Accident Mortality Rate Declines 24 Percent Last Year in China’’ [Zhongguo
meikuang shigu siwanglu qunian xiajiang 24%], Radio Free Asia, 6 January 14.
136
Wang Yichen, ‘‘State Administration of Work Safety: Safe Production in Coal Mining Re-
mains Key Problem To Tackle’’ [Guojia an jian zongju: meikuang reng shi anquan shengchan
gongguan zhongdian], Economic Daily, reprinted in China News Service, 10 January 14.
137
‘‘China Reports Cover-Ups in Coal Mine Accidents,’’ Xinhua, reprinted in Global Times, 5
August 14.
138
‘‘Number of Non-Mining Accidents and Deaths Both Increase Last Year’’ [Qunian fei
meikuangshan zhongda shigu qishu he siwangrenshu tongbi jun shangsheng], China News Serv-
ice, 27 February 14.
139
See, e.g., China Labor Watch, ‘‘Another Samsung Supplier Exploiting Child Labor: Inves-
tigation of Shinyang Electronic Co. Ltd. (Dongguan),’’ 10 July 14, 3, 14; Zhou Jing et al., ‘‘Trac-
ing Fire at Shoe Factory: Hidden Dangers Amass Leading to Enormous Fire, Lack of Training
Leads to Death of Many People by Smoke Inhalation’’ [Xie chang huozai zhuizong: yinhuan ji
chong tianda huo zhong fasheng que peixun duo ren jing bei xunsi], Xinhua, 15 January 14;
‘‘Frequent News of Deaths at Apple Subcontractors Suspected To Be Related to Working Envi-
ronment’’ [Pingguo daigongchang pinchuan sixun yi yu gongzuo huanjing youguan], Radio Free
Asia, 21 November 13.
140
See, e.g., ‘‘Several Hundred Workers at Lutianhua in Sichuan Block Roads Protesting In-
creased Work Hours Without Raise in Wages’’ [Sichuan lutianhua shubai gongren dulu kangyi
gongshi zengjia daiyu wei tigao], Radio Free Asia, 10 February 14; Amy Li, ‘‘Guangzhou Bank
Security Van Workers End Strike After Management Agrees To Pay Deal,’’ South China Morn-
ing Post, 12 February 14; Sophie Stracke et al., DanWatch, ‘‘IT Workers Still Pay the Price for
Cheap Computer: Case Study of Labour Conditions at 4 Dell Suppliers in China,’’ November
2013, 10–12.
141
See, e.g., Sophie Stracke et al., DanWatch, ‘‘IT Workers Still Pay the Price for Cheap Com-
puter: Case Study of Labour Conditions at 4 Dell Suppliers in China,’’ November 2013, 13–14;
China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Another Ammonia Leak at a Chinese Factory Claims 15 Lives,’’ 2 Sep-
tember 13; China Labor Watch, ‘‘Another Samsung Supplier Exploiting Child Labor: Investiga-
tion of Shinyang Electronic Co. Ltd. (Dongguan),’’ 10 July 14, 3, 14.
142
See, e.g., ‘‘Workers in Dongguan Blocking Streets, Demanding Back Wages Suppressed’’
[Dongguan gongren dulu tao xin zao daya], Radio Free Asia, 14 October 13; Sophie Stracke et
al., DanWatch, ‘‘IT Workers Still Pay the Price for Cheap Computer: Case Study of Labour Con-
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18
ditions at 4 Dell Suppliers in China,’’ November 2013, 28; China Labor Watch, ‘‘Mattel’s Unceas-
ing Abuse of Chinese Workers: An Investigation of Six Mattel Supplier Factories,’’ October 2013,
21–22, 45.
143
See, e.g., Shai Oster, ‘‘They’re Dying at Their Desks in China as Epidemic of Stress Proves
Fatal,’’ Bloomberg, 30 June 14; Sarah Mishkin, ‘‘Overtime Work at Foxconn Still Beyond China’s
Legal Limits,’’ Financial Times, 12 December 13; Yan Ying and Song Taowei, ‘‘Why Do Apple
Subcontractor Workers Vie for Overtime? ‘Double Overtime’ Can Earn Two or Three Thousand
More’’ [Pingguo daigongchang yuangong weihe zheng zhe jiaban? ‘‘shuangjia’’ neng duo na liang
san qian], East Day, 16 December 13.
144
Shai Oster, ‘‘They’re Dying at Their Desks in China as Epidemic of Stress Proves Fatal,’’
Bloomberg, 30 June 14.
145
Wang Wanli, ‘‘In Past 10 Years, At Least 697 Young Adults in Prime of Life Suddenly Die’’
[10 nian zhishao 697 qingzhuangnian cusi], Guangzhou Daily, 21 July 14.
146
Zheng Caixiong, ‘‘Syndrome Killing Young Workers in ‘World’s Factory,’ ’’ China Daily, re-
printed in People’s Daily, 22 July 14; Andrea Chen, ‘‘Mystery as Hundreds of Young Chinese
Workers Are Dying in Their Sleep,’’ South China Morning Post, 22 July 14.
147
See, e.g., ‘‘Xinhua Insight: Official Blames Factory Blast on ‘Serious Dereliction of Duty,’ ’’
Xinhua, 4 August 14; ‘‘Fire Takes Place at Shoe Factory in Wenling, Zhejiang, Analysts Doubt
It Is Arson’’ [Zhejiang wenling xie chang fasheng huozai fenxirenshi huaiyi ren wei zonghuo],
Radio Free Asia, 14 January 14; China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Factory Bosses Detained After Explo-
sion at Jiangsu Auto Plant Kills 69,’’ 3 August 14.
148
Zhou Jing et al., ‘‘Tracing Fire at Shoe Factory: Hidden Dangers Amass Leading to Enor-
mous Fire, Lack of Training Leads to Death of Many People by Smoke Inhalation’’ [Xie chang
huozai zhuizong: yinhuan ji chong tianda huo zhong fasheng que peixun duo ren jing bei xun
si], Xinhua, 15 January 14; Charles Arthur, ‘‘Samsung Finds Labour Violations at Dozens of
Its Chinese Suppliers,’’ Guardian, 1 July 14; Yu Dawei and Bao Zhiming, ‘‘Workers at Jiangsu
Auto-Parts Factory Say Fatal Blast Wasn’t a Surprise,’’ Caixin, 4 August 14.
149
See, e.g., Alice Yan, ‘‘Kunshan Explosion Factory Ignored Several Danger Warnings, Says
Regulator,’’ South China Morning Post, 4 August 14; China Labor Watch, ‘‘Another Samsung
Supplier Exploiting Child Labor: Investigation of Shinyang Electronic Co. Ltd. (Dongguan),’’ 10
July 14, 14; China Labour Bulletin, ‘‘Another Ammonia Leak at a Chinese Factory Claims 15
Lives,’’ 2 September 13.
150
National Health and Family Planning Commission, ‘‘Bulletin Concerning 2013 Situation
for Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Work’’ [Guanyu 2013 nian zhiyebing fangzhi
gongzuo qingkuang de tongbao], 30 June 14.
151
Love Save Pneumoconiosis, ‘‘Research Report on the Living Conditions of China’s Pneumo-
coniosis-Affected Migrant Workers (2014)’’ [Zhongguo chenfeibing nongmingong shengcun
zhuangkuang diaocha baogao (2014)], 1 July 14, 1, 7–11.
152
Li Xiaocong and Xu Liuping, ‘‘A Majority of the 20,000 People Suffering With Occupational
Disease in Our Province Lack Medical Certification’’ [Wosheng 2 wan zhiyebing ren daduo wu
zhenduan shu], Jiangxi Morning Post, 12 August 14; Xiang Huilian, ‘‘Report States Over 80 Per-
cent of Migrant Workers With Pneumoconiosis Unable To Obtain Compensation’’ [Baogao cheng
chao ba cheng chenfeibing nongmingong wei huo peichang], Caixin, 7 July 14.
153
Love Save Pneumoconiosis, ‘‘Research Report on the Living Conditions of China’s Pneumo-
coniosis-Affected Migrant Workers (2014)’’ [Zhongguo chenfeibing nongmingong shengcun
zhuangkuang diaocha baogao (2014)], 1 July 14, 35, 40.
154
Fair Labor Association, ‘‘Final Foxconn Verification Status Report,’’ 12 December 13.
155
‘‘Profile: Foxconn Technology Co Ltd (2354.TW),’’ Reuters, last visited 8 September 14.
156
Fair Labor Association, ‘‘Final Foxconn Verification Status Report,’’ 12 December 13, 1.
157
Ibid.
158
Ibid., 3.
159
Ibid.
160
Isaac Shapiro and Scott Nova, ‘‘Apple Fails To Deliver on Key Labor Rights Promises, but
Company’s Chosen Labor Rights Monitor Finds Little Fault,’’ Economic Policy Institute (blog),
13 December 13.
161
Fair Labor Association, ‘‘Final Foxconn Verification Status Report,’’ 12 December 13, 3.
162
See, e.g., Li Na, ‘‘Numerous Violations Again Exposed at Apple Subcontractor Factories:
Low Wages and Long Work Hours’’ [Pingguo daigongchang zai bao duo xiang weigui: xinzi di
gongzuo shijian chang], 21st Century Business Herald, 18 August 14; Neil Gough and Brian X.
Chen, ‘‘Groups Accuse Apple Supplier in China of Labor Violations,’’ New York Times, 4 Sep-
tember 14; Yan Ying, ‘‘4 Workers at Apple Subcontractor Recently Died From Illness, Including
One 15 Year Old; Pegatron’s Response: Problem With Hiring Child Labor Is in Examining Iden-
tification in Recruitment’’ [Pingguo daigongchang 4 ming yuangong yin bing zai jinqi siwang,
qizhong yi ren jin 15 sui, heshuo keji huiying: tonggong yong wenti shenfenzheng tongguo zhao
gong hecha], Shanghai Morning Post, 13 December 13.
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