2013 was a year in which China’s workers became more vocal, more organized and even more determined to take a stand. Women workers, in particular, have been at the forefront of the struggle, pushing for collective bargaining with their employer (as highlighted in last month’s newsletter) as well as raising issues of discrimination and sexual harassment. Women workers’ organizations and social media activists have come to the fore, significantly raising the profile of women’s rights in the workplace and exploring new ways getting their voices heard.
Up to 70 percent of women factory workers in Guangzhou sexually harassed
Up to 70 percent of women workers in Guangzhou’s factories have been sexually harassed. The problem is so serious that 15 percent of victims felt they had no option but to leave their job to get away from their harasser. Continue reading...
The urgent need for a new Employment Discrimination Law in China
Cao Ju, China’s first ever gender-discrimination litigant, is one of four ground-breaking worker plaintiffs who have written to the State Council recommending that China enact a new Employment Discrimination Law. Continue reading...
A profile of the Sunflower Women Workers Centre in Guangzhou which initiated and carried out the sexual harassment survey. Continue reading...
A young woman from Anhui is suing the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, accusing it of discrimination in its job recruitment drive. Continue reading...
Benjamin Teare travelled extensively from Guangzhou to Beijing to Kashgar, talking to workers, artists, factory owners and trade union officials about developing theatre as a new means of expression for workers in China. Continue reading...