Our 10 most recent articles.
Collective protests decline but worker grievances remain unresolved
China’s economic slowdown, combined with rapidly shifting patterns of employment and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, resulted in a marked decline in the number of collective protests by workers last year.
27 January 2021
Migrant workers hit hardest by job losses in 2020
China boasted a robust economic recovery following the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, but official statistics confirm that rural migrant workers, who make up more than one-third of the working population, suffered severe job losses and saw incomes stagnate.
19 January 2021
Employee deaths put China’s tech sector under further scrutiny
An engineer employed at e-commerce platform Pinduoduo reportedly jumped to his death on Saturday, 9 January, after unexpectedly returning home on leave. It was the second sudden death of a Pinduoduo employee in ten days, highlighting the extreme pressure faced by workers in China’s ultra-competitive tech sector.
11 January 2021
Singles Day reveals harsh reality of China’s express delivery industry
This year’s Singles Day shopping bonanza on 11 November has once again exposed the appalling conditions delivery workers labour under in order to meet consumer demand. Moreover, there are reports that working conditions are actually getting worse as the industry develops.
30 November 2020
Workers in the Global South face unprecedented challenges in 2020
CLB investigates how the Covid-19 pandemic and economic contraction has affected the world’s two largest workforces in China and India.
19 November 2020
The Karnataka Garment Workers Union, Bengaluru: A case study
In the third article in a series on workers’ rights and collective action in India, P.K. Anand looks at the Karnataka Garment Workers Union.
16 November 2020
Shenzhen worker protests decline sharply after factories relocate
Throughout much of the last decade, Shenzhen was one of the main centres of worker activism in China. Today, the picture is very different.
12 November 2020
Alibaba’s global ambitions present a dilemma for European labour
Chinese tech giant Alibaba is establishing an e-commerce hub at Liège Airport. What does this mean for workers and trade unions in Europe?
10 November 2020
The Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers: A case study
This is the first in a short series of articles on workers’ rights and collective action in India during the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown.
02 November 2020
Hong Kong dock workers’ union demands compensation for workers infected with Covid-19
Trade unionists in Hong Kong have vowed to push for work-related injury compensation for the 73 workers infected with Covid-19 during a mass outbreak at the Kwai Chung Container Terminal during July and August.
02 September 2020