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More from @chinalabour

CLB

@chinalabour

Sep 15, 2023

1/ This week, factory workers in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, are on strike with 20 demands for their employer, Zhongshan Eurotec, aka Music Tribe, which produces electronic music equipment for Behringer. The factory employs about 1,100 workers. clb.org.hk/en/content/clo…

2/ When posting online videos about the strike, workers show long security lines that they have to pass through before clocking in (and often getting marked tardy) and also after they clock out for the day. They also get screened four other times during the work day.

3/ Workers complained that their sense of dignity was violated. A commenter online asked for clarification: "What is your demand?" A worker simply responded: "To be treated like a human being." Another said, "I really hate those factories that ask workers to queue a lot."

Read 6 tweets

CLB

@chinalabour

Jun 12, 2023

1/ On 8 May, about 100 factory workers in Shenzhen went on strike for unpaid wages and benefits, after the company said it would close. They blocked the gate with a banner: "We rationally and legally appeal to Xin’an Electrics in Shenzhen to pay up our housing provident fund!"

2/ Employers in China are required to pay into various social insurance accounts, and the housing provident fund is a private account designed to assist with purchasing property. About 50 workers signed a letter to the local govt seeking enforcement of their wages and benefits.

@CLBStrikeMap

3/ CLB gathered data on this incident in our @CLBStrikeMap and called the housing fund centre and the street-level union to learn more about the situation and see if anything could be done to help the workers, who produce kitchen appliances for Keurig, Cuisinart, and Philips.

Read 9 tweets

CLB

@chinalabour

Apr 3, 2023

1/ On 16 Feb 2023, Kaisheng Shoe Factory workers in Hunan province went on strike over layoffs and unpaid wages, and police were dispatched to the scene. Meanwhile, the local government had recently praised the factory for its “inspiration” to the city.
clb.org.hk/content/over-h…

2/ The local trade union was similarly operating in a parallel universe: it had organised empty International Women’s Day activities and political sessions rather than understanding the needs of workers and representing them in the face of ongoing layoffs.

3/ According to supplier data, Kaisheng recently employed about 3,400 workers, 70% of whom are women. “All workers have gone on strike as a lot of us are facing layoffs,” states the title of video posted about the 16 Feb strike. clb.org.hk/content/over-h…

Read 8 tweets

CLB

@chinalabour

Mar 8, 2023

1/ CLB investigated three cases of #women workers in #China facing #discrimination and rights violations related to #maternityleave. We found these incidents through local governments' online message boards and referred the cases to the union. Read more: clb.org.hk/content/three-…

2/ Regarding family leave policies, the ACFTU has the opportunity to ensure both that workers' rights are protected and that state policy goals are upheld, contributing to the union’s political and practical missions. However, in these three cases, the union was not eager to act.

3/ The ACFTU’s Charter requires all levels of the union to est women workers’ committees, which should conduct research, draft policies, and advise on legislation concerning the rights of women workers. In CLB's investigations, however, these committees were not easily reachable.

Read 10 tweets

CLB

@chinalabour

Dec 5, 2022

1/ CLB followed headlines in China last month, and in our November 2022 news roundup we’re sharing brief summaries of stories affecting China’s workers: clb.org.hk/content/novemb…

2/ Urban villages in Guangzhou went on lockdown and vulnerable migrant workers were chaotically relocated. Urban villages are densely packed and have health and safety issues in ordinary times, and some workers were left homeless and in limbo last month. archive.ph/LyKct#selectio…

3/ On 2 Nov, a 55yo sanitation worker at the hospital of the University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen campus, jumped from her work building. On 11 Nov, another cleaner at the University of Shenzhen did the same. Their families shared their stories of low pay and overwork.