South Africa: Probe into labour standards at Zakumi makers

The Global Brands Group (GBG) has launched an ethical and social compliance investigation into the Chinese company manufacturing the Soccer World Cup mascot, Zakumi, it said yesterday. “GBG has taken appropriate steps to contract Intertek (the world’s largest independent testing, inspection and certification organisation) to conduct an immediate ethical and social compliance audit and inspection of this facility,” the company said.

China: a resumption of tripartism and collective bargaining

By China Labour bulletin

Last month a magazine article exposed the extent to which labour relations in China had deteriorated over the last year, with enterprises deliberately taking advantage of the government’s leniency during the global financial crisis to exploit their workforce. The writer called on the government and trade unions to take concerted measures according to the ILO tripartite system and including the introduction of collective bargaining, to alleviate the growing conflict between workers and management. The article was published in Liaowang (瞭望), the magazine of the official Xinhua News Agency, which is widely read by senior government officials and policy makers. It seems that many policy advisors are now realizing that, as the Chinese economy recovers, there is an increasingly urgent need to restore the rights of workers that were systematically stripped away by government officials seeking to protect local enterprises during the financial crisis. The scholars and officials interviewed by Liaowang all agreed that enterprises had got away with too much, and that unless some balance was restored to labour relations, the conflict would only increase.

China: “Undercover” migrant worker exposes labour violations

On 1 September 2008, Huang Weimu walked into Guangzhou’s Panyu District Labour Bureau and demanded 55,334 yuan for the past five month’s work done at the Huizhi Garment Factory. Huang wasn’t a stereotypical migrant worker, willing to be cheated and exploited, on the contrary: he specifically chose the factory because he knew it didn’t sign labour contracts. Huang deliberately worked at the Huizhi Garment Factor for five months “undercover,” stealthily collecting evidence of labour violations.

China: Workers land seats in the Bird’s Nest

By CARA ANNA

Two bricklayers, a security guard and a cement buyer walked across the vast Olympic Green they helped build, holding some of the games’ hottest tickets in their deeply tanned hands. About 300,000 migrant workers helped build the Olympics venues. None was expected to watch them. Many left Beijing this summer – no longer welcome – as construction stopped for the games, forcing them to look for work elsewhere.

China: Meeting the needs of migrant workers

According to the newspaper China Daily , the Chinese government is doing much to help and assist migrant workers and their families. Have a read:

Many see them as the backbone of China’s development. From building city skylines to keeping streets clean, migrant workers have provided the crucial labor needed to power the country’s rapid urbanization and economic growth.

China: Employers boost wages in bid to attract workers

By Chen Hong  

Companies in the Pearl River Delta area, the country’s manufacturing powerhouse, are raising wages to attract migrant workers amid fears of a worsening labor shortage, a survey has shown.