From Guardian Unlimited:
China is a nation on the move. A massive shift towards urbanisation – with hundreds of millions of people moving to the cities and new industrial centres – is taking place, as workers leave their farms to create a new life, or at least make some money. But to graft in the new “workshop of the world” is no picnic. Employers are free to terminate contracts without notice, withhold workers’ wages, and refuse to renew contracts. Workers in China have no official right to strike.
The new corporate culture in China involves working long hours. Cases of workers dying through overwork are not uncommon. Recently an employee of Huawei(Âçé‰∏∫), China’s top telecoms equipment maker, died of “overwork”, according to his colleagues, and the company has since brought in new rules to prevent staff working overnight in the office. [Full Text]
