CLB whole heartedly endorses the Catch the Flame initiative launched today by Play Fair 2008.
Catch the Flame is a virtual torch relay supported by a global alliance of trade unions, non-governmental organizations, labour groups and concerned individuals, designed to draw attention to the maltreatment and exploitation of workers in the merchandise industry of the Olympic Games in Beijing (2008), Vancouver (Winter 2010) and London (2012).
 |
|
 |
Migrant workers worst hit by textile industry slowdown |
| The global economic slowdown, combined with increased mechanization in the textile industry, has made life extremely difficult for unskilled migrant workers in China’s silk capital, Shengze. Many factories have halted production and laid workers off. Photograph by onekell @ flickr.com | |
 |
|
|
China Coal refuses any compensation after the death of long-serving employee |
| One of China’s largest and most profitable coal companies has refused to give “one cent” to the widower of an employee of 26 years because it claimed her death was not work-related. Sun Shengqiang describes his year-long struggle for justice against a cold and unfeeling corporate giant. | |
 |
|
|
No Way Out: A report on the human cost of China’s economic miracle |
| A new report by CLB and Canada’s Rights and Democracy reveals how the lives of millions of workers were thrown into turmoil during the wholesale privatization of China’s state-owned enterprises in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Photo of abandoned SOE in Liaoning by Sonya@flickr.com | |
 |
|
|
Dongguan court’s dubious ruling in Nokia HBV discrimination case |
| A Dongguan court on 22 October 2008 ruled against a plaintiff who was seeking 500,000 yuan in psychological damages after being refused employment at Nokia (China) because of his Hepatitis B (HBV) status. However, key evidence was not heard by the court. Photo by Pierrick Blons | |
 |
|
|
Bosses across China skip town leaving huge unpaid wage bills |
| It is not just in China’s export orientated manufacturing hub, the Pearl River Delta, that company bosses are leaving workers with unpaid wages. The global economic crisis is affecting all of China’s eastern provinces, and more and more bosses are responding by cutting and running. Photo by phinalanji@flickr.com | |
