The Lot of Chinese Workers:
Do China's Labor Laws Work?

Tuesday, April 11, 2006
10:00 to 11:30 AM
Room 2255, Rayburn  House  Office  Building

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) held another in its series of staff-led Issues Roundtables on Tuesday, April 11, 2006, from 10:00 to 11:30 AM in Room 2255 of the Rayburn House Office Building.  The Roundtable is entitled "The Lot of Chinese Workers: Do China's Labor Laws Work?"

The National People's Congress enacted labor laws in 1994 and 2001 that many people in China and abroad saw as positive steps for Chinese workers.  In practice, however, both have been implemented inconsistently across the country, resulting in a legal regime for labor in China that does not protect workers against exploitation and abuse.  Such abusive practices are particularly common against rural workers when they migrate into areas of China in which industrial development has been rapid and demand for labor is great.  These migrant workers frequently find it difficult to protect themselves against health problems, long working hours, wage arrearages, and other forms of exploitation.

Chinese workers are making their discontent known by holding large public protests in many places in China.  Public demonstrations are one of the few methods open to exploited workers to bring their grievances to the attention of government authorities.  Most protests are peaceful, but during 2005 at least one incident involved workers battling public security officers.
 
The panelists discussed these issues and developments, and offered comments on new labor legislation under consideration in China.

The panelists were:

Han Dongfang
Director, China Labour Bulletin
Hong Kong

Han Dongfang founded the China Labour Bulletin (CLB) in Hong Kong in 1994 to promote democratic unions and the protection of labor rights and standards in mainland China.  A railway worker, Han joined the Workers' Autonomous Federation during the pro-democracy movement in Beijing in 1989 and was detained without trial for 22 months after the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen crackdown.  Han maintains contact with Chinese workers through, among other means, his three weekly radio call-in and news programs broadcast over Radio Free Asia.

Robin Munro
Director of Research, China Labour Bulletin
Hong Kong

Robin Munro is Director of Research for the China Labour Bulletin in Hong Kong and serves on the board of directors of Human Rights in China. A graduate of Edinburgh University and an honorary research associate at the Law Department of the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University, Munro received an award from the American Psychiatric Association for his work on the political abuse of psychiatry in China.  He has served as a researcher for a number of human rights associations and received his Ph.D. from the University of London. His thesis is entitled, "Judicial Psychiatry and Human Rights in China.