China Labour Bulletin has posted a profile of Meng Han, a lifelong laborer who has devoted himself to fight for labor rights in China. Meng was the leader of the 12 Guangzhou Chinese Medicine University Auxiliary Hospital security guards who were convicted for “disturbing social order” in April after staging labor protests in the summer of 2013, and now, after his release from jail, is training to be an effective labor activist:
Meng, the leader of the security guards, was given the longest sentence; nine months in prison. He was half obscured by police and court officials and by the crowd of supporters and journalists packed into the court room but when the judge asked the defendants if they wished to appeal their sentence, Meng Han made his presence felt.
“I will appeal,” he replied immediately, his distinctive husky voice cutting through the throng to reach all four corners of the room.
Just over a month later, Meng was free man, having served his sentence in full. Sitting on a much more comfortable chair in a Guangzhou restaurant that serves food from his home town in Hubei, he explained how he is determined to continue playing a leading role in the workers’ movement but is now taking a more measured, long-term approach.
“I want to live my life to the fullest and nurture more and more workers’ leaders for the future,” he explained. […] [Source]
Click through for China Labour Bulletin’s full profile of Meng Han. Also see prior CDT coverage of labor rights in China.
