China Labour Bulletin established its bilingual Work Accident Map in December 2014 to track and categorise workplace accidents reported in domestic media

Administrative penalties not sufficient to save the lives of 22 workers in Guizhou province

Following China’s amended family planning policies that encourage married couples to have as many as three children, several provinces have increased maternal, paternal, and parental leave policies for workplaces in China.

On 17 December,  20 coal miners working at an illegal coal mining site were rescued in Xiaoyi, Shanxi, after they were trapped underground by flooding. Two more miners died before the rescue team arrived, sparking public discussion about how to ensure the safety of workers in the mining industry.

China is undeniably a safer place to work than it was a decade ago. However, accident rates, death tolls and the incidence of occupational disease are all still comparatively high. New work hazards have emerged as the economy develops, and many employers continue to prioritise productivity and profit well above work safety.

China’s revised Work Safety Law, which goes into effect on 1 September, makes the responsibility of trade unions for work safety inescapably clear. How will the union respond?