Our 10 most recent articles.
The Platform Economy
In China, the scale of the platform economy, the conditions giving rise to the development of the sector, and the special regulatory environment all have unique features that affect workers. This explainer examines these angles primarily through the lens of two platform industries: the food delivery industry and the ride-hailing industry.
09 November 2022
Foxconn factory workers in Zhengzhou raised the alarm “amid the fire and water”
Positive Covid-19 cases at the world’s largest iPhone plant in China drove management to lock 300,000 workers down under unsafe conditions
08 November 2022
Economic trouble in real estate and industrial sectors affects vulnerable workers
Photograph: humphery / Shutterstock.com
China’s economic troubles are revealed in China Labour Bulletin’s data on labour challenges that workers face. According to data collected in August 2022 in our Strike Map, Workers’ Calls-for-Help Map, and Workplace Accident Map, the effects are particularly acute for migrant workers in the construction sector and in the steel and coal production industries.
But first, don’t miss the content CLB has published recently:
14 September 2022
August 2022 labour news roundup: Youth unemployment at record high for fourth consecutive month
In this edition: “Frictional unemployment” describes young people’s job prospects; live streamers experience labour disputes and excessive working hours; hospitals in financial crisis cannot pay wages and benefits; real estate recession leads to layoffs in steel industry; truck drivers on China’s “green passage” face challenges; workers suffer under extreme temperatures
07 September 2022
Food delivery driver stabs self in protest over fines and unpaid wages
Two years on from the viral investigation, “Delivery Drivers, Trapped in the System,” the industry has seen little regulatory change or union representation for workers’ obvious needs
30 August 2022
CLB Report: Waiting for Weiquan: Worker rights protection at the All-China Federation of Trade Unions
CLB investigates the role and effectiveness of rights defence (维权 weiquan) departments of China’s official trade union
08 August 2022
June 2022 labour news roundup: Restaurant closures leave millions of workers without jobs
Catering industry stalls under high operating costs; delivery drivers detained for violating Shanghai’s pandemic prevention regulations; construction companies transfer Covid-positive workers to unhygienic facilities; all levels of government urged to hire new graduates; physical examinations lead to insidious employment discrimination
05 July 2022
China’s truck drivers stranded amid lockdowns
"You can’t earn a living. All you can do is hold out with your truck," said a truck driver surnamed Yang, of difficulties for transport workers under China's pandemic prevention measures
06 June 2022
May 2022 labour news roundup: Shanghai resumes production
Shanghai resumes production; SHEIN business model creates e-commerce competition affecting workers’ livelihoods; several workers at manufacturing conglomerate BYD commit suicide in Changsha; Meituan introduces workplace safety measures for delivery drivers; migrant and youth unemployment rates rise; and the Vocational Education Law gets a revision.
31 May 2022
Migrant workers and their children
There are an estimated 292 million rural migrant workers in China, comprising more than one-third of the entire working population. They have been the engine of China’s spectacular economic growth over the last three decades but remain marginalized, and their children have limited access to education and healthcare.
26 May 2022