Workers at auto-parts factory go on strike over reductions in their year-end bonuses and excessive work hours; 12 hour work shifts (~50 hours overtime/month).
Incident Tag: Excessive Work Hours
Work hours exceeding the limit of 48 hours/week.
The ILO Hours of Work (Industry) Convention (No. 1) of 1919 introduced a maximum standard working time of 48 hours per week and eight hours per day as an international norm. In several exceptional cases, working time is allowed to exceed these limits, as long
as daily working time remains not higher than ten hours, and weekly working time not higher than 56 hours.
“The ILO conventions that address working hours have established a maximum of 48 hours per week plus 12 hours of overtime and this can only be applied on a sometime basis.”
Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, 1919 (No. 1)
Hours of Work (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1930 (No. 30)
These two Conventions set the general standard at 48 regular hours of
work per week, with a maximum of 8 hours per day.
Weekly Rest (Industry) Convention, 1921 (No. 14)
Weekly Rest (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1957 (No. 106)
Set the general standard that workers shall enjoy a rest period of at least
24 consecutive hours every 7 days.
Holidays with Pay Convention (Revised), 1970 (No. 132)
Every person to whom the Convention applies shall enjoy at least three
working weeks of annual paid holiday for one year of service.
Part-Time Work Convention, 1994 (No. 175)
Requires ratifying states to ensure that part-time workers receive the same
protection, basic wage and social security, as well as employment conditions
equivalent to those accorded to comparable full-time workers.
8000 Workers on Strike at LG Nanjing Factory to Protest Racial Discrimination in Year-End Bonuses
8,000 workers strike at LG Display factory, protesting racial discrimination in year-end bonuses which privileged Korean over Chinese workers. Workers also held other grievances over issues such as excessive work hours.
Toys of Misery 2004: A Joint Report by National Labor Committee and China Labor Watch
Workers making plastic toys on 18-20.5 hour shifts; mandatory 7 day workweeks; 30 days a month; pay below minimum wage; 16 ½ cents an hour on average; organizing a union is strictly prohibited; 20 people share one dorm room.
AT&T and NEC Contract with Sweatshop Operators
12,5 – 13 hour shifts during low season. 14,5 – 15 hour shifts during high season. Seven days/week. Workers under-paid, over-worked and inhumanely treated.
Nike, Adidas, Reebok and New Balance Made in China
Workers kept in factory for 12,5 hours, work intensity and low wages drive people to illness, death and suicide. Female worker turned ill in November 1999. She was denied sick leave 3 times, and was found dead in the restroom. Since 1994, 14 workers have committed suicide.
Top Form Workers Strike Over Wages at China Lingerie Factory – Bloomberg
200 employees strike for 5 days at lingerie factory over wages and “unachievable” production quotas.
1,000 Workers Strike at Factory That Makes Keyboards for Apple and IBM
1,000 workers stage strike at factory (~3,000 employees) producing keyboards, owing to unreasonable overtime demands (17-19 hours overall factory stay), worker abuse and bullying by managers, among other grievances.
Merton Company Limited
Workers at toy factory toil for 12.5 hours/day, spend 16.5 hours in the factory overall, and have to work all night during delivery rush. Average salary per hour is 13 cents. 17-20 people sleep in one room. The factory uses various toxic materials. Many workers got their hands burned.
Dongguan Elegant Top Shoes Co., Ltd (2)
Factory making shoes has female workers under 16, some of them are sexually harassed. Small dorm rooms are packed with eight workers. Workers stay in the factory for 13.2 hours/day, with hourly pay is as low as 24 cents U.S.
Workers at Shenzhen Top Form Underwear Co., Limited Go on Strike
More than 400 workers strike at Shenzhen factory, protesting unfair piece-rate wage system and workers’ unachievable daily production quotas. Employees work approximately 300 hours/month (busy season), and earn 2.000 RMB per month ($314 USD).