The unprecedented strike this month by Hong Kong health workers lasted for five days, involved nearly 8,000 workers at its peak, and marked the beginning of a new era of worker activism in Hong Kong.

The unprecedented strike this month by Hong Kong health workers lasted for five days, involved nearly 8,000 workers at its peak, and marked the beginning of a new era of worker activism in Hong Kong.

CLB examines the key developments and emerging trends in worker activism in China in 2019

CLB examines the key developments and emerging trends in worker activism in China in 2019

There are no official statistics on the number of strikes and worker protests in China. CLB’s Strike Map is currently the only publicly accessible database that contains detailed information on more than 12,000 workers’ collective actions in China dating back to 2011.

There are no official statistics on the number of strikes and worker protests in China. CLB’s Strike Map is currently the only publicly accessible database that contains detailed information on more than 12,000 workers’ collective actions in China dating back to 2011.

Low pay, poor working conditions and abusive managers are well documented at many Chinese-owned enterprises in Vietnam, as are the strikes and protests staged by workers in response. Joe Buckley examines several recent such protests and suggests that these problems are not just confined to Chinese enterprises but are found across Vietnam, regardless of enterprise ownership.

In the five years since the Guangdong collective contract regulations went into effect, there have been 1,279 collective worker protests in the province, accounting for 12.7 percent of all the incidents recorded on China Labour Bulletin’s Strike Map.