Brief introduction of LAC's strategy and timeline of our silicosis campaign (As presented in our speaking tour to Switzerland, March 2011)

 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.

 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.

ONE by one, hundreds of Chinese workers are starting to die of an incurable lung disease contracted in appalling conditions inside factories supplying the international jewellery trade. The epidemic of silicosis, caused by inhaling fine dust, has turned into a scandal that the jewellery industry fears may cause more damage to its reputation than the outcry over "conflict diamonds" .

While the most beautiful, glittering gem stones from all over the globe are displayed here in Basel this week in one of the jewellery industry¡¦s largest extravaganzas, thousands of workers who polished these gemstones are quietly dying in China, India and possibly in many other countries. They are dying because their lungs have been lacerated and scarred by inhaled silica particles, causing a deadly disease known as silicosis. China and India are the two biggest gemstone processing countries accounting for 80 per cent of the world¡¦s jewellery export market. More than 80 per cent of the cut and polished diamonds are exported by India, followed by China. However, the jewellery sector is thriving at the expense of its workers¡¦ lives. We are the Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational Accident Victims (ANROAV), a network of occupational victims¡¦ organisations from 16 Asian Countries. We are very concerned about the increasing number of silicosis cases found in the jewellery factories and processing workshops in mainland China and India. Workers involved in the cutting and polishing of gemstones are directly exposed to heavy silica dust which is the main cause of this incurable occupational disease.

Feng Xingzhong, a 33-year-old Sichuan native, won his case on appeal in Huidong County People's Court on 22 Dec 2005, after a 3-year legal battle and amid a steady deterioration of his health. Feng Xingzhong, a 33-year-old Sichuan native, won his case on appeal in Huidong County People's Court on 22 Dec 2005, after a 3-year legal battle and amid a steady deterioration of his health. The court ruled that Feng is entitled to a total of 463,761 yuan, in a compensation package that included a lump sum payment of 219,000 yuan to cover Feng's long-term medical treatment. Feng's case is the first time that a court has awarded compensation on this vital count. It sets a good precedent for future compensation cases involving occupational illnesses in the Guangdong jewellery industry. Though it's a victory for Feng, the battle has not yet ended. Feng's compensation may be dragged out because his employer, Ko Ngar Gems Factory, has lodged an appeal to the Huidong County court 2 weeks ago. With the prolonged legal proceedings and weak enforcement order, Feng's compensation is still out of his hands. While Feng and several other silicosis-afflicted jewellery workers have been awarded substantial amounts of compensation by the courts over the past year, most of the other 100 or so victim workers in Guangdong have received little or no compensation. Moreover, these cases are the tip of the iceberg: the Chinese Ministry of Health's experts estimated Chinese workers currently have silicosis might be as much as 4.4 million.

Deng Wenping, a migrant worker who contracted silicosis while working at a Hong Kong-invested jewellery factory in southern China due to the poor workplace environment, finally died of his illness on 5 January, after years of struggles for his life and just compensation. Deng Wenping, a migrant worker who contracted silicosis while working at a Hong Kong-invested jewellery factory in southern China due to the poor workplace environment, finally died of his illness on 5 January, after years of struggles for his life and just compensation. Deng Wenping's tragic case highlights the severe human cost, in terms of basic health and safety, being paid daily by countless migrant workers for the sake of China's breakneck economic development. Deng was only 36 years old when he died. He was diagnosed of silicosis, an incurable occupational disease in 2000, just after three years on the job as a stone cutter and polisher. Generally speaking, the average incubation period for this type of pneumoconiosis was seven to eight years. Deng¡¦s diagnosis suggested that the workplace conditions of the factory were particularly ghastly. After four-year legal fight, Deng received a total of 230,000 yuan in July 2005 in compensation from his former employer, Perfect Gem & Pearl Manufacturing Company, in an out-of-court settlement mediated by the Huizhou Intermediate People's Court and Boluo County Court. Deng had earlier received 90,000 yuan in compensation from the company in 2001. Though finally receiving the compensation, Deng¡¦s family was close to bankrupt due to the high medical cost and the prolonged legal battle with the employer.

A Letter to CIBJO World Jewellery Confederation and the Jewellery Industry 5th March 2005 We are jewellery factory workers from mainland China. We are here to seek justice and our well deserved compensations from our employers. We have worked for these employers under extremely poor working conditions for a few years. Polluted by the large amount of dust, we have contracted the horrible occupational disease of pneumoconiosis. Pneumoconiosis is incurable, and can be fatal in a few short years. A number of workers have already left this world, leaving behind huge debts, old age parents, young children and devastated wives. Not only do these unscrupulous employers shift their responsibilities for their workers, who have brought their employers enormous wealth, they have also found different excuses to refuse compensations. We used to have happy families until we were diagnosed of pneumoconiosis. The disease has brought us pains and sufferings. Our old age parents, small children and our wives rush around borrowing money everywhere in order to keep our disease under control and thereby keep us alive. We are now handicapped and no longer able to bring in any income. We have difficulties in walking and talking; we are always out of breath and suffer from chest pains. All we can do now is to sob quietly and wait for our death to arrive.

Not touring in Hong Kong: three Mainland workers resort meeting Hong Kong capitalists for silicosis compensation By M. C. Lai, Hong Kong Liaison Office of IHLO and ICFTU Feb 2005 Three semi-precious stones processing factory workers are exhausted lingering the bureaucracy for years to claim their rights of silicosis compensation. Advancing to the last stage of silicosis, the workers understand the life will be ending within two to three years at their earlier forties. They make the last resort to meet the Hong Kong employers, present them the missing element of the made profit. It is the first time of Mainland workers take fight in the territory for workers' rights. This live and dead stories reflects the problems of the existing bureaucracy and laws in China. "I'm the breadwinner of the family. The aged mother is too old to farm and two children are too young to work. The family has to rely on my wife's small income and loans to survive. Now I'm indebted with RMB60,000 (~USD7,200). I must fight back the compensation because the illness is caused by work. The employer cannot deny the responsibility." Li Wei-zhong told the unionists and labour activists in the meeting. Li is 42 year old, has 4 years of service, lost 30 kilo since contract silicosis.