CIBJO urges manufacturers to recognize and compensate workers stricken with silicosis
JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone -- 12/20/2005 8:52:00 AM
CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, has called on foreign and Hong Kong based companies who operate gemstone cutting and jewelry manufacturing operations in China, particularly in the Guangdong region, not only to investigate the silicosis epidemic that has stricken workers in gemstone and jewelry factories there, but also to ensure that they receive proper medical treatment, as well as reasonable compensation from their employers.
This appeal by CIBJO president Gaetano Cavalieri follows the publication of "Deadly Dust," a report on the silicosis epidemic among Guangdong jewelry workers and the defects of China's occupational illnesses prevention and compensation system. The report was originally published in Chinese last August, and now in English translation by the China Labour Bulletin, an NGO that monitors labor conditions and for all practical purposes defends the rights of industrial laborers in China.