Strategies for strengthening human rights in the Chinese workplace

A majority of the toys, clothes and mobile telephones that Swedish consumers buy are made in China, a country without freedom of union organisation. All the signs indicate that it is the Chinese workers who are the force behind the progress towards human rights in the Chinese workplace through their actions the workers have - despite their lack of democratic rights - forced the Chinese government to strengthen the labour law and to arbitrate in labour market conflicts. In this report Fair Trade Center has attempted to show how companies, international unions and NGOs can contribute to the Chinese workers’ efforts.