Workers' Liberty

If China's Stalinist bureaucrats hoped the Olympic torch relay would draw attention away from their crackdown in Tibet, they must now be sorely disappointed. As the torch paraded through London on 6 April, its bearers were met by a succession of protesters, some of whom attempted to snatch and extinguish the flame.

The Olympic spectacular in August this year is likely to be another step on China’s march towards great power status. For sure the media will marvel at the incredible stadia, the clean streets of the capital and the immensity of the country.

So spare a thought for the workers on Beijing’s Olympic construction sites,

Since 10 March, Tibet has been convulsed by protests against Chinese rule.

In the recent weeks, we, a group of Hong Kong groups and unions who cover labour issues in China have learned of a series of violent attacks on a labour group and its legal person in Shenzhen. We are very upset, concerned and enraged about the recent development.

The story of the Chinese revolution of 1927, is a story of how a working class developed in China, how its struggles interlaced with those of the nationalist bourgeoisie, how the young Chinese Communist Party misled those struggles and why, ultimately, they were defeated.

Iran

Free Salehi and Ossanlou Now!

A demonstration to secure the freedom of imprisoned worker activists and support the independent labour movement in Iran was about to take place as we went to press.

IRAN

On 9 April 2007, Iranian security forces detained Mahmoud Salehi, under the pretext that he must liaise with prosecutors over arrangements for a May Day demonstration.

Chan Ying reports from Hong Kong on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre (4 June 1989).

The Chinese authorities are once again harassing and arresting journalists, intellectuals and dissidents. Wang Dan, the student leader of the 1989 events, has been arrested again. He has gone into a hunger strike. Wang had already served his prison sentence, although he has been under constant surveillance ever since his release. This time he is one of 27 signatories to a letter petitioning the government to launch a full inquiry into the ’89 events. Another signatory, Ding Zilin, assistant professor of philosophy of Beijing’s Chinese People’s University and mother of a June 4th victim, has been kept under surveillance since March 1994, after publishing an article about her work in compiling June 4th victims. She has recently been threatened by the authorities even though she has not been involved in any form of illegal or underground activity. More than 40 activists have been detained in the last two weeks.

Over Chinese 1,000 workers rioted over poor working conditions at a factory which produces toys for McDonald's, according to the US labour rights group, China Labor Watch (CLW).

According to a China Labour Bulletin report, the incident began on 22 July when workers at the Hengli Factory in Dongguan City protested over meagre wages, the lack of public holidays and poor living conditions. The protest began in the workers' dormitories and evolved into a riot that stretched into Sunday, with more than 1,000 workers joining in.

Over 1,000 Chinese workers rioted over poor working conditions at a factory which produces toys for McDonald's, according to the US labour rights group, China Labor Watch (CLW).

According to a China Labour Bulletin report, the incident began on 22 July when workers at the Hengli Factory in Dongguan City protested over meagre wages, the lack of public holidays and poor living conditions. The protest began in the workers' dormitories and evolved into a riot that stretched into Sunday, with more than 1,000 workers joining in.

Amnesty International has recently published its “league table” of rates of execution in countries around the world.

80% of executions worldwide were carried out by just one country. There are no prizes for guessing which...

More than 1,000 workers at the cloth-weaving section of the Heze Cotton Textile Factory staged a five-day strike against low pay in February. Most strikers were women and the workers’ actions has affected the production of the company's other factories.

By Pablo Velasco

china

A former textile worker who posted online reports about a protest demonstrations by steel workers in Chongqing has disappeared and is believed to be in police custody.

A police crackdown against workers from the Chongqing steel plant earlier this month resulted in the death of two women protestors, 24 workers injured and the detention of three of the workers’ leaders, according to the China Labour Bulletin.

In the last fortnight China has stepped up its claims to Taiwan, and strengthened its opposition to any attempt by the Taiwanese government to seek independence. The US now appears to beleive that China is more serious than ever about these claims, and will seek to reincorporate Taiwan sooner rather than later. The US is in an awkward position. Its interest in Taiwan is more economic than political. The US now conducts vast amounts of trade with China, and China provides the US with large quantities of funding to sustain the US Trade and Budget deficits. The US does not want to jeopardise these important links.

By harry glass

China’s forced-march industrialisation continues apace. The OECD, the rich nations’ think tank, says that by 2010 it will become the fourth largest economy in world — overtaking Britain, France and Italy.

China faces a huge wave of protests which may push the regime into a serious political crisis.

This year has seen a sharp increase in urban and rural protests across China, some involving workers taking strike action, according to press reports and academics.

By Harry Glass

The diplomatic spat between Japan and China shows no sign of abating, despite several attempts at conciliation.

Since 17 April more than 10,000 workers from the Japanese-invested Uniden Electronics factory in Fuyong Town, Shenzhen, have been striking to win the right to set up their own trade union in the factory. This demand was originally conceded in 2000 but has never been allowed. They also want sick pay and maternity leave, permanent contracts and quality meals. This is the first time Chinese workers have ever staged a strike specifically in order to form a trade union.

An appeal for Chinese worker activists

Dan Nichol reviews the BBC’s China Week

This was perhaps the BBC’s way of recompensing for not adequately covering what was one of 2004’s biggest stories — China’s explosive economic growth.

The imprisoned Liaoyang worker activist, Xiao Yunliang, has been transferred to a prison with inadequate heating facilities in a mountainous rural area near Shenyang, where temperatures are currently around minus 20 degrees C. This is his eleventh transfer since he was first imprisoned in 2002.

By Peter Hudis

Few developments are changing the world more than China’s unprecedented economic growth. In 2004 industrial production increased 16%. This growth is no flash in the pan. Per capita gross domestic product (GDP) growth in China averaged 8% a year since 1979.

A round-up of the latest news from working-class struggles around the world.

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Uzbek “Republic”

A fair election result was finally secured in the Ukraine over the Christmas period — although only after mass protests had secured a re-run.

There will be no such happy outcome in Uzbekistan where all five parties taking part in the 25 December parliamentary election supported the incumbent President, Islam Karimov. Additionally, two-thirds of potential candidates were not allowed to stand.

A group of female workers have been on strike since early December at a Japanese wireless phone factory in Shenzhen, which supplies giant American retailer Wal-Mart.

More than twenty worker activists at the former Tianwang Textile Factory in Xianyang city, Shaanxi Province, have been arrested by police after a seven week factory-wide strike by around 6,800 workers.