Wage arrears

Our 10 most recent articles.

State-owned bus company in debt, asks employees to take out personal loans to cover unpaid wages

Local governments are also out of funds, and unions are too burdened with pandemic prevention measures to represent workers’ interests
27 October 2022

Workers unable to recover even small sums from contractors amid property market freefall

In this case study, CLB looks at how regulations designed to protect the labour rights of migrant workers go unheeded even when workers need the most protection
18 October 2022

Tight local budgets mean some essential workers go unpaid

Photograph: chinahbzyg / Shutterstock.com China Labour Bulletin’s mapping data collected in September 2022 reveals the extent to which local government budgets are stretched, leading to unpaid wages for essential workers like teachers and bus drivers in China’s smaller cities. This is related to the property market crisis, as local revenues from property sales have fallen.  But first, don’t miss the content CLB has published recently:
12 October 2022

September 2022 labour news roundup: Peak season labour shortage in manufacturing sector

In this edition: Manufacturing sector experiences labour shortage during peak season; tech companies eliminate overtime pay for contractual workers; government circular signals possible pay cuts at financial sector SOEs; smaller cities unable to support local bus routes, leaving drivers unpaid; young lawyer takes own life in the face of harsh legal work culture; air conditioning installation accidents surge this summer
06 October 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

Medical workers strike over wage arrears

In CLB’s analysis of July 2022 data, we find notable cases of medical workers seeking wages in arrears, concentrated in China’s north-eastern provinces
16 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

Construction worker protests increase with property market instability

Analysis of worker actions in construction sector in the first half of 2022 indicate that more trouble is to come if endemic wage arrears go unresolved
13 July 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

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
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