Worker's lawsuit challenges inadequacies of China's compensation system

20 October 2010
中文版见下

A 21-year-old migrant worker from Hunan, who lost a hand in a work-related accident last year, is challenging legal provisions that limit the amount of compensation workers can receive, irrespective of the employer's culpability in the accident.

In July 2009, Ruan Libing, a newly recruited employee at Elec-Tech in Zhuhai, had his left hand crushed whist operating machinery at the plant. His hand was amputated in a subsequent hospital operation. Even though his working life was effectively over, Ruan received just the statutory compensation payment of approximately 90,000 yuan.

Ruan felt that the compensation award was far from adequate, especially given his age and the company's failure to ensure his safety at work. With the help of China Labour Bulletin, Ruan sued Elec-Tech for additional compensation on the basis of Article 48 of China's Production Safety Law, which stipulates:

Employees who suffer injuries in production safety accidents shall be entitled to claim compensation against the entity concerned if, according to the civil laws, they have the right to do so apart from enjoying the employment injury insurances according to law.

The lawsuit was accepted by the district court in Zhuhai in July 2010, making it the first time that a Chinese worker had brought a civil lawsuit against an employer after receiving compensation for a work-related injury.

During the case, Ruan's lawyer argued that:
  • The company failed to provide Ruan with adequate training to ensure the safe operation of machinery.
  • The equipment itself was obsolete and prone to mechanical malfunction.
  • The company was grossly negligent in providing Ruan with prompt emergency medical care after the accident.
An investigation by the Hong Kong NGO Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM) this summer showed that during a one-year period at Elec-Tech, almost 60 workers were injured in industrial accidents, a considerable number of which led to the loss of workers' fingers or even entire hands.

Although Ruan lost the initial lawsuit, he now plans to appeal and CLB will continue to support his case. We believe that the case is important not only because Ruan deserves to be properly compensated but also because it challenges two major deficiencies in China's Work Injury Insurance Regulations, namely:

  • The regulations do not distinguish between situations in which the employer is at fault and when it is not at fault.
  • The regulations fail to take into account of the age of the victim in work-related injuries.
To learn more about CLB's labour rights litigation work, please visit the website. And for more information on Ruan Libing's case, please contact CLB's Director of Communications Geoffrey Crothall. (852) 2780 2187. gcrothall@clb.org.hk


国内第一起工伤赔偿后提起针对公司人身伤害侵权行为的民事诉讼

中华人民共和国《安全生产法》明确规定,“因安全生产事故受到损害的从业人员,除依法享有工伤社会保险外,依照有关民事法律尚有获得赔偿的权利的,有权向本单位提出赔偿要求。”现实中,几乎没有人运用此项诉讼权利。

2009年7月,21岁的湖南籍工人阮礼兵在珠海的德豪润达公司操作机床时发生事故,导致左掌被切除。从公司处已经获得法定的工伤赔偿约9万,阮礼兵认为这不足以覆盖公司的过错,于2010年7月继续提起来人身侵权诉讼。这是国内第一次在工伤赔偿的诉求满足后再提起的侵权诉讼。

原告律师主张被告公司存在的过错包括:1.被告对入职后的原告没有尽到操作培训和安全培训的义务;2.被告提供操作的设备陈旧老化,极容易发生机械故障;3.被告在事故发生后对原告的抢救存在重大的过失。

阮礼兵的维权,也促成香港的大学师生监察无良企业行动介入(SACOM),对德豪公司进行调查,并发布了报告。调查发现,有2000员工的德豪公司,在一年内竟有近60起工伤事故,相当一部分工伤者是断手、断指的伤残。

目前CLB支持的该案一审已经败诉,我们将继续支持阮礼兵上诉。同时,我们与媒体和其他工友讨论并筹备了一个行为艺术的剧本,以抗议德豪公司。但由于德豪发现后,予以威胁和干涉,行为艺术行动推迟。

CLB认为,该次诉讼的意义在于弥补《工伤保险条例》的缺陷:首先,《工伤保险条例》没有区分雇主有过错和无过错的情况;其次,《工伤保险条例》不能体现全额赔偿;再次,《工伤保险条例》没有考虑到工伤者的年龄因素。

媒体联络:CLB 传讯总监郭展睿
(852) 2780 2187. gcrothall@clb.org.hk

关于我们:中国劳工通讯是一个致力於推动中国工人及其他劳工阶层的团结,维护中国劳工的权益和尊严的的非政府组织和劳工团体。我们的目标是使中国劳工阶层成为能独立地表达、维护自己的利益和愿望的集体力量。
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