China Approves New Contract Labor Law

Source: Associated Press

China Approves New Contract Labor Law

Friday June 29, 5:06 AM EDT

BEIJING (AP) — China passed a new contract labor law on Friday in a bid to improve basic workers' rights amid widespread complaints of unpaid wages, forced labor and other abuses, state media said Friday.

The approval follows 18 months of deliberation and a rare government request for public comment on the law. It is expected to be the most significant change in Chinese labor rules in more than a decade by setting standards for labor contracts, use of temporary workers and severance pay.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the law was approved Friday by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's parliament, and is to take effect on Jan. 1 next year.

China has been in the throes of a slavery scandal that has unleashed a flood of negative publicity against officials in Shanxi and Henan provinces. Hundreds of children and adults were abducted and sold to brickyards in those areas. Operators, often acting with local government protection, beat, starved and forced workers to labor long hours without pay.


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