AFT delegation visits China to support workers' rights, democracy

Chinese workers taking steps to combat low pay, health problems

In what may be the first meeting with an official American labor delegation, workers in mainland China met with AFT representatives in February to discuss the egregious practices at several gem factories that sell their products to Western jewelry companies.

The workers have contracted silicosis, the terminal lung disease caused by conditions at factories owned by Lucky Gems and Jewelry, Ko Ngar Gems, Perfect Gem, and Art's King Gems. These big companies sell products to major brands like Liz Claiborne.

The Chinese workers grind unfinished gems in unventilated areas and have become ill from inhaling the dust that is a byproduct of this work. Failure to provide protections from this hazard is a violation of Chinese law routinely ignored by government officials and by the government-controlled All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU).

These workers are among the 200 million migrant workers in China who have moved to the country's free market zones, leaving their families behind and sending funds home.

In the booming city of Shenzhen near Hong Kong, nearly three-quarters of the 6 million registered workers are migrants who have been there for more than a year. Another 4 million have lived there for a shorter time. They live in overcrowded dormitories, sharing small beds and tiny rooms. The AFT delegation met the jewelry workers in one of these dorms so as not to attract the attention of police or others who might try to stop the discussions.

The workers strongly criticized the Chinese government for failing to enforce health and safety laws, and for participating in the corrupt practice of payoffs that result in the dismissal of workers' complaints in court. The ACFTU, they charged, has rebuffed their pleas for help.

Shortly after the delegation toured the grounds of a local factory, one of the sick workers, Yang Ren Ping, received a call from the personnel manager demanding, "What has happened? Who are these people? What organizations are they from and what do they want?" His answer was, "They are Americans and they are supporting us. They want to know about our situation, which is very unfair."

The AFT delegation promised to publicize the efforts of these workers to get adequate compensation for their work-related disabilities and to change working conditions in their former factories (all were fired after being diagnosed with silicosis). The delegation also met with democracy advocates in Hong Kong's legislative council, leaders of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union, the Democracy Alliance, and representatives of other labor and nonprofit groups concerned about democracy in Hong Kong and worker rights in China.

The AFT delegation traveled to mainland China during a weeklong visit to Hong Kong. Led by AFT secretary-treasurer Nat LaCour, the group included AFT vice presidents Louis Malfaro, president of Education Austin (Texas), and Judy Schaubach, president of Education Minnesota. Also in the delegation was Helen Toth, an associate director in the AFT's international affairs department, and Albert Shanker Institute executive director Eugenia Kemble.

Copyright American Federation of Teachers May/Jun 2005
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