Three students go “undercover” as migrant workers in Dongguan. Their report details the pay and conditions and the attitude of migrant workers towards employer abuses and their awareness of the law.Photo by Travel Geographer.

As Foxconn plans to move more production inland, workers at its flagship facility in Shenzhen face an uncertain future. Photograph of Shenzhen by Nako

Beijing-based journalist, David Yang recently investigated the case of a battery factory worker in the northeastern province of Jilin who was diagnosed with acute lead poisoning and renal failure but could not get adequate compensation because the authorities, apparently in collusion with his employer, refused to classify his injury as work-related.

Dozens of villages in outer Beijing are due to be demolished to make way for new developments. But the migrant workers and young graduates who live there will get zero compensation for being made homeless. Photo of Tangjialing village.

CLB examines the myriad obstacles faced by migrant workers seeking compensation for occupational illness, and outlines a series of measures to improve workplace safety and that ensure workers’ rights are protected. Photo of Zhang Haichao.

If you ask a factory worker or a waitress in the Pearl River Delta if they have had a pay raise recently, they will either stare at you blankly or just burst out laughing. Photo. Zhongshan factory workers. TravelGeographer.

Su Huawen taught in the village primary school he helped set up in 1953 for nearly 50 years. He taught mathematics, Chinese, music and physical education. He was admired and respected by students and parents alike, so much so, villagers addressed him as “Scholar” (文公). Today, 78-year-old Su is in poor health and lives dire poverty with hardly any income or pension because the local government in Leizhou, southwesten Guangdong, has refused to pay him the 12,000 yuan he was owed after being forcibly retired in 2000. Su has been waiting ten years for his money and has not seen one cent.

A university degree is supposed to provide students from poor rural families with a good job, high status and, crucially, a residency in the big city that would allow them to start their own family. However, the reality for today’s graduates is very different.

As the Chinese economy recovers, an influential magazine calls on the government and trade unions to take concerted measures to alleviate the growing conflict between workers and management. Photo. Onekel

CLB director Han Dongfang argues that moves by the authorities in Shanxi to close and merge small privately-run mines with larger state-run mines will only improve coal mine safety if miners are allowed to play a key role in safety management. Photograph by andi808.