Our 10 most recent articles.
Hong Kong food delivery workers protest pay and working conditions
Following last month’s strikes and protests by food delivery workers in mainland China, drivers in Hong Kong staged a protest outside the company headquarters of Foodpanda on 15 July.
22 July 2021
China’s food delivery workers take action while the union idles
Food delivery workers in several major cities went on strike at the end of June in protest at pay cuts and the draconian policies imposed by the online platforms that dominate the market.
06 July 2021
Trade union officials distance themselves from food delivery workers’ suffering
Protests by food delivery workers over the exploitative monopolies of companies like Ele.me and Meituan have made headlines recently, but the trade union remains inert.
05 July 2021
Food delivery workers take action against low pay and “tyrannical” policies
Food delivery workers in several major cities across China have reportedly taken strike action in response to cuts in pay and the oppressive demands placed on them by the major online platforms.
30 June 2021
Food delivery worker burns uniform in symbolic protest
A group of Meituan food delivery workers in the northern city of Weinan staged a symbolic protest last month, reportedly over their onerous working conditions and the fact that, even though they are not technically Meituan employees, they still have to wear the company uniform and essentially act as brand ambassadors.
08 June 2021
Honouring our friend and colleague Robin Munro
China Labour Bulletin’s former deputy director, great friend and supporter, Robin Munro, sadly passed away on 19 May 2021.
02 June 2021
Workers’ rights further eroded by new legislation in Shenzhen
The Shenzhen government is in the process of amending its Employee Wage Payment Regulations for the first time since they were introduced 17 years ago.
01 June 2021
Beijing official makes a big show of understanding gig workers
An otherwise unremarkable government official, Wang Lin, has become an unexpected internet celebrity. A video featuring the middle-aged, bespectacled Wang moonlighting as a driver for food delivery giant Meituan has gone viral and reignited discussion on the pay and conditions of workers in the gig economy.
06 May 2021
Government report documents migrant worker struggles in 2020
China’s rural migrant worker population fell by 5.2 million last year as the Covid-19 pandemic and attendant economic slowdown led to job losses and wage stagnation.
05 May 2021
Worker activist detained while the official trade union sits on its hands
China’s best-known food delivery worker activist, Chen Guojiang, was detained on 25 February and has been held at Beijing’s Chaoyang district detention centre since. In mid-March, his family was formally notified that Chen is accused of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” (寻衅滋事), the catch-all charge used by the authorities to crack down on activists. He was formally arrested on 2 April.
07 April 2021