CLB conducts in-depth investigation into the All-China Federation of Trade Union’s reform initiative

CLB conducts a one year, in-depth investigation into the All-China Federation of Trade Union’s reform initiative.

Strikes by transport workers have long been a feature of daily life in China’s cities but in the last five years there has been a noticeable shift in the nature of these protests, driven primarily by the rapid growth of app-based transport services and the decline of traditional services.

Most trade union officials in Shandong understood that they had a responsibility to organize delivery workers but seemed unable to shake off their traditional shackles and find a way to cut through the red tape.

The tragic death of an elderly sanitation worker in Guangzhou highlights once again the urgent work China’s trade unions need to do in organizing, improving pay and working conditions, and countering exploitative management practices.

In this case study from China Labour Bulletin’s ongoing trade union reform and accountability program (工会改革观察与促进), we talk with a district trade union veteran frustrated with the inability of enterprise unions to stand up for their workers.

In this case study from CLB’s trade union reform and accountability program, we meet one of the few trade union officials in the construction industry who is willing to get his hands dirty and help workers resolve the issues most important to them.

In this case study from CLB’s ongoing trade union reform and accountability program, we discuss the response of trade union and local government officials in Sichuan to a typical construction workers’ wage arrears case