Staff suffer health decline after supplier's use of toxic chemical to clean western gadgets Tania Branigan in Suzhouguardian.co.uk, Friday 7 May 2010 Next month, amid the usual hoopla, Apple is expected to officially unveil its latest gadget: the much-awaited iPhone 4G. But halfway round the globe from the company's California headquarters, a young worker who has spent months in an eastern Chinese hospital wants consumers to look beyond the shiny exterior of such gadgets.

(This article is written in Chinese)

Migrant workers, trade unionists and students were among those who joined in with the international celebration of May Day in Hong Kong on Saturday. The march was organised by the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions. Demonstrators marched from Victoria Park to the Central Government Offices chanting slogans calling for improvement to labour rights and working conditions. One of the key issues for protestors this year was the demand for a minimum wage of HK$33 per hour. Many workers in Hong Kong are forced to work for poverty wages.

Source: libcom.org Apr 21 2010 Hundreds of laid-off former bank employees have attended a rally in Beijing demanding better benefits. Many had outwitted police to be able to attend the protest, which was eventually attacked by police. The participants were all former employees of China’s big five state-owned commercial banks: Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, and Industrial Bank Co., Ltd.

Source: The National Labor Committee. April 13, 2010 The National Labor Committee is releasing an in-depth report, "China's Youth Meet Microsoft:  KYE factory in China produces for Microsoft and other U.S. Companies." Over the course of a three-year investigation of the KYE factory in Dongguan, China, unprecedented photos were smuggled out of the factory, of exhausted teenagers, seen slumping over asleep on their assembly line during break time.

By Chen Hong (China Daily)Updated: 2010-04-14 07:50 SHENZHEN - The local trade unions federation has urged Foxconn Technology Group, the Taiwan-funded electronic manufacturing giant, to take care of the psychological needs of its huge number of young employees following a string of suicides.

In this feature of Worlds of Labour website, we invited activists from Germany, UK and China (Hong Kong) to illustrate and comment the changes of social security systems in their own countries and region. They point out the existing problems and proposes improvements.   Previous Special Reports

It is an interview record between Mr. Leung Po Lam, the chairperson of Hong Kong Social Security Society and Dr. Mok Tai Kay, the former director of Social Work Department at Hong Kong Baptist University. China's draft law of social security was finally approved at the 12th meeting of the General Committee of the National People's Congress. It is expected that the draft law will be finalized by the end of this year. The Worlds of Labour invited Dr.

Hong Kong Social Security Society proposed a transition program for China's pension system. The transition program aims at achieving a unified payment system for the retired persons of both cities and rural villages, and guarantees them 20% of the average monthly salary for those who cannot afford any contributions.

A Question and Answer session by the Hong Kong Social Security Society on why Chinese grassroots organziation must be concerned about China's draft law on social security.