China is one of the most rapidly developing countries in the world. The current pattern of economic development has increased the number and frequency of occupational hazards and incidents. Occupational diseases exist in a wide range of industries and are rampant in middle and small scale enterprises. There are occupational hazards in traditional industries like coal mining and metallurgy as well as some newly emerging industries like automobile manufacturing and bioengineering. In China, the prevalence of occupational diseases and persistent exposure to occupational health hazards have posed serious threats to the vast migrant worker population. According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) report, over 200 million workers are directly exposed to occupational health risks in their workplace with 16 million companies associated with poisonous and hazardous operations and production in the country. The experts estimate that at least 25 million employees in China are exposed to dust, toxins and noise hazards in over 300 different industries. In particular, the number of employees contracting pneumoconiosis is increasing at a rapid rate of 10,000 annually.

Together, Our Voices Make a Difference! Campaigns that have tried to address violations of workers' rights in the garment and apparel sector have targeted firms including Liz Claiborn, Nike and Adidas. Since these firms dominate a large share of their markets, their actions have ripple effects throughout the sector. Targeting these larger enterprises, activists were able to make a difference.

 Campaign Update 16 September 2010 For more than 6 long years silicosis victims at the Hong Kong owned LuckyGems and Jewellery Factory Ltd have been fighting for fair compensationthrough legal channels. In August a final court decision was issued on fivesilicosis workers, namely Liu Dabing (劉大丙), Tan Zhouquan (譚周全), LiuZhongwu (劉忠武), Ren Qimei (冉啟美) and Jiang Xueying (蔣學英 ). On 3rd August, the Higher People's Court of Guangdong Province made an ultimate andirreversible judgment on the five cases: the Court upholds and reaffirms the original verdicts of the second trials on the five cases and dismisses the application for re-trial of Lucky Gems Jewellery Company.

  港聞 2010-03-02   【本報訊】首次有港資公司因違反勞工法例被禁參展。香港勞工組織指出，在內地設廠的港資企業力奇珠寶因未有執行中國法院的判決，向患上矽肺病的工人賠償，分別被本周五開幕的香港國際珠寶展及全球最大的瑞士巴塞爾國際鐘表珠寶展取消參展資格。   公開工人受害經過   中國勞動透視項目幹事鍾明麗昨日形容，過去幾年他們一直向香港貿易發展局及瑞士巴塞爾國際鐘表珠寶展（Baselworld）交涉，要求取消力奇的參展資格，今年終取得突破。香港力奇珠寶有限公司因違反勞工標準，導致數十名內地工人患上致命職業病矽肺病，被中國法院裁定須依例向工人賠償，但至今仍未賠償。   力奇公司內地廠房前工人鄧永紅今日將出席職工盟和中國勞動透視舉行的發佈會，講述受害及抗爭經過。鄧永紅91年受僱力奇深圳的工廠，01年證實患上矽肺病1期，跟其他力奇的矽肺病工人多年來打官司追討賠償，至09年惠州法院裁定力奇公司須向鄧永紅賠償42萬人民幣，但力奇至今仍未執行法庭裁決。鄧永紅的矽肺病已惡化至2期。        

    港聞 2010-03-03     【本報訊】「我會一直維權到底！」內地工人鄧永紅今年才38歲，但只上幾級樓梯就會氣喘。他曾在港資企業力奇珠寶打工。資方罔顧工業安全，令最少45位工人患塵肺病，但老闆一直逃避責任，最近被工會逼得不能參加明天舉行的國際珠寶展，依然不肯遵照法院判決，向鄧賠償。患病的工友一般只活到40多歲，鄧永紅不知能活多久，誓言只要尚存一口氣仍會追究到底。   塵肺病工人訴苦   「如果知道會患這個病，當初工資再高，我也不幹這工作。」19歲那年，鄧永紅剛畢業離校，就跑到深圳的力奇珠寶打工，負責切割瑪瑙等寶石。車間內塵粉飄揚，工人每月只獲發一個布口罩，「每天下班，衣服總是灰黑黑的。」他91年加入工廠，01年身體不適，被確診患上職業性塵肺病。   05年鄧永紅病情惡化，勞動能力鑑定局評定他為4級傷殘，失去勞動能力。鄧永紅入稟法院向力奇追討，法院判他勝訴，港資僱主要向他賠償42萬元，但一直拒付。協助鄧永紅的中國勞動透視向香港貿易發展局及瑞士巴塞爾國際鐘錶珠寶展的主辦單位投訴，令該公司被踢出有關展覽的參展權。工會表示會繼續為工人追討工傷賠償。      

港聞 2010-03-03     【本報訊】勞工組織中國勞動透視昨日指出，於內地設廠的港資力奇珠寶有限公司，因沒有向患有矽肺病的前工廠工人依法賠償，被拒參與後天開幕的香港國際珠寶展，及月中開始的瑞士巴塞爾國際鐘表珠寶展，是首次有港資公司因違反內地勞工法例，遭海外及本地珠寶展拒諸門外。力奇方面則稱，正為員工安排賠償，也未接獲被拒參與兩個展覽的書面通知。   三十七歲的鄧永紅九一年起，先後於深圳及惠州的力奇寶石廠從事寶石切粒工作，十年來工作於粉塵中，○一年發病確診一期矽肺病，翌年解約歸家養病但未見起色，○六年病情惡化至二期。經過多年訴訟後，雖然獲內地法院判決應得四十二萬六千多元人民幣賠償，但迄今分毫未得，直斥僱主無良「想拖到我們死」。   中國勞動透視主任黃靜文表示，該廠有近五十名工人確診矽肺病，至少十四份內地法院裁決書裁定公司須承擔法律責任，促請香港力奇依法解決所有職業病和勞工爭議個案。她又稱，獲貿發局通知稱經已拒絕力奇參與珠寶展，又出示發自瑞士巴塞爾國際鐘表珠寶展2010主辦單位的信件，指已拒絕了力奇參展的申請。   力奇回應：正安排賠償  

 港聞 2010-03-03   【本報訊】勞工組織中國勞動透視昨指，於內地設廠的港資力奇珠寶有限公司，因沒有向患有矽肺病的前工廠工人依法賠償，被拒參與後天開幕的香港國際珠寶展，及月中開始的瑞士巴塞爾國際鐘表珠寶展，是首次有港資公司因違反內地勞工法例，遭海外及本地珠寶展拒諸門外。不過，力奇方面則稱，正為員工安排賠償，也未接獲被拒參與兩個展覽的書面通知。   力奇珠寶有限公司稱未接獲被拒參與兩個珠寶展的書面通知。 （霍振鋒攝）   三十七歲鄧永紅九一年起，先後於深圳及惠州的力奇寶石廠從事寶石切粒工作，十年來工作於粉塵中，○一年發病確診一期矽肺病，翌年解約歸家養病但未見起色，○六年病情惡化至二期。經年訴訟後，雖獲內地法院判決應得四十二萬六千多元人民幣賠償，但迄今分毫未得，直斥僱主無良「想拖到我們死」。   近50工人患矽肺病   中國勞動透視主任黃靜文表示，該廠有近五十名工人確診矽肺病，至少十四份內地法院裁決書裁定公司須承擔法律責任，促請香港力奇依法解決所有職業病和勞工爭議個案。她又稱，獲貿發局通知稱已拒絕力奇參與珠寶展，又出示發自瑞士巴塞爾國際鐘表珠寶展2010主辦單位的信件，指拒絕了力奇參展的申請。  

Press Release 2 March 2010 Between 2004 and 2007, the Hong Kong owned Lucky Gems and Jewellery Factory Limited was exposed for causing silicosis, the lethal occupational disease to employees in China. The gemstone cutting victims had travelled to the company’s headquarters in Hong Kong, and staged demonstrations at the international jewellery exhibitions in Hong Kong and Basel in Switzerland to press the company for due compensation and improvement of the safety and health conditions. In 2008 and 2009, Labour Action China lodged official complaints with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Baselworld, the hosts of the world’s biggest international jewellery exhibitions in Asia and Europe, demanding for the banning of Lucky Gems in international trade fairs. 

...A Hong Kong jewellery producer has been banned from a major fair in the city and one in Switzerland for failing to compensate workers suffering from a lung disease. Rights group Labour Action China hailed the ban and said the firm should compensate 50 workers suffering from silicosis, a preventable lung disease caused by long-term inhalation of tiny particles, as soon as possible. 

Massive foreign direct investment (FDI) and a strong labour supply has earned China the name of "the world's factory". However, under the glittering façade of the economic miracle lies another side to the story. Guangdong Province, known as a "job paradise" for migrant workers, has attracted millions of workers from China¡¦s poor regions after the inauguration of the Open Door Policy in 1979. The development of a market economy resulted in massive and rapid inflow of foreign direct investment and manufacturing investments mainly coming from nearby North Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. The investments are concentrated in the "3L" sector--the labor-intensive, low-skilled and low-end sector. While the flow of foreign capital accelerates the speed of economic growth and accumulation of local capital, however, occupational health and safety conditions have not kept pace with the nation's breakneck industrialization.