https://www.scmp.com/rss/323714/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com A saddening, yet familiar story hit the headlines late last month. Children below 16 were sent from the western province of Yunnan to be exploited in textile factories in the eastern city of Changshu, in Jiangsu province. As some experts point out, the issue is not child labour alone. The employers confiscate the children’s identity papers and do not pay wages until the end of the year, so as to prevent them from walking away from the job. This constitutes bonded labour, one of the many forms of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2054541/hong-kong-lags-behind-battle-against-modern-day-slavery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2054541/hong-kong-lags-behind-battle-against-modern-day-slavery?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Dec 2016 03:55:55 +0000 Delegates from the 57 founding member states of the new China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) recently gathered in Beijing for the bank's signing ceremony. The US was not among them. Earlier, its National Security Council expressed concerns whether the bank "will meet high standards, particularly related to governance, and environmental and social safeguards". Jin Liqun , who has been nominated president of the bank, played down such concerns by pledging that the US$50 billion... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1843470/intense-scrutiny-aiib-should-spur-it-fulfil-its-social-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1843470/intense-scrutiny-aiib-should-spur-it-fulfil-its-social-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Jul 2015 03:00:59 +0000 A report this month by the Fair Labour Association into working conditions at two Chinese factories operated by Apple's supplier Quanta Computer found multiple problems. Among them were excessive working hours, workers having to pay hiring fees to labour brokers and verbal abuse by supervisors. In response, Apple said it was working closely with Quanta to improve conditions. Earlier in the month, Samsung Electronics had said it would do 30 per cent less business with its supplier Dongguan... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1580756/protecting-workers-rights-good-business-china-and-elsewhere?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1580756/protecting-workers-rights-good-business-china-and-elsewhere?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2014 04:00:45 +0000