[Global] Multiple reports of Chinese firms exploiting workers overseas

Chinese companies are alleged to be exploiting workers overseas. Multiple reports of violations are accumulating from areas including Laos, where workers who were hired for construction projects undertaken six years ago have still not been paid, ANI News reports.

The HK Post reported that workers in Laos have claimed that they are yet to receive any payment for work carried out in 2015. These workers were hired by a Chinese company to build homes for villagers displaced by the construction of a China-backed dam.

This is not the sole example of Laos workers being exploited by Chinese companies. Weeks before China's bullet train project in Laos was to be opened to the public, over a hundred workers who built the high-speed railway that connects China with Laos, say they have not been paid for two months, according to The HK Post.

Disputes between Chinese companies and the local workers they hire have become a constant theme in these China-backed projects, the report said.

The companies assert that many workers are not serious, often failing to finish the assigned tasks and so cannot be paid until all the work is completed. "They don't work hard. Some fall asleep on the job, some others are high on meth, and some steal. The employers cut off their wages and sometimes call the police on them," a Lao supervisor working for a Chinese subcontractor told The HK Post.

"The workers, on the other hand, claim that they were promised pay at the end of each month and many have run out of money to buy even food. Meanwhile, a labour law expert said the workers will have to continue their fight for payment and legally have the option of suing these Chinese companies in court," the report continued.

The HK Post said similar reports have been coming in from other parts of the world where China is a major investor, such as Serbia. The first Chinese car tire factory in Europe - Shandong Linglong Tire Co. - is based there, in a harsh and cold desert location and Vietnamese workers have been hired to set up the huge facility.

Many human rights groups in Serbia have warned that the company may be involved in serious crimes like human trafficking and slavery, the report said.

According to The HK Post, Serbian activist Miso Zivanov told the media, "Vietnamese (workers) are working in terrible conditions. Their passports and identification documents have been taken by their Chinese employers. They have been here since May, and have received only one salary. They are trying to get back to Vietnam but first need to get back their documents."

Chinese companies are alleged to be exploiting workers overseas. Multiple reports of violations are accumulating from areas including Laos, where workers who were hired for construction projects undertaken six years ago have still not been paid, ANI News reports.

The HK Post reported that workers in Laos have claimed that they are yet to receive any payment for work carried out in 2015. These workers were hired by a Chinese company to build homes for villagers displaced by the construction of a China-backed dam.

This is not the sole example of Laos workers being exploited by Chinese companies. Weeks before China's bullet train project in Laos was to be opened to the public, over a hundred workers who built the high-speed railway that connects China with Laos, say they have not been paid for two months, according to The HK Post.

Disputes between Chinese companies and the local workers they hire have become a constant theme in these China-backed projects, the report said.

The companies assert that many workers are not serious, often failing to finish the assigned tasks and so cannot be paid until all the work is completed. "They don't work hard. Some fall asleep on the job, some others are high on meth, and some steal. The employers cut off their wages and sometimes call the police on them," a Lao supervisor working for a Chinese subcontractor told The HK Post.

"The workers, on the other hand, claim that they were promised pay at the end of each month and many have run out of money to buy even food. Meanwhile, a labour law expert said the workers will have to continue their fight for payment and legally have the option of suing these Chinese companies in court," the report continued.

The HK Post said similar reports have been coming in from other parts of the world where China is a major investor, such as Serbia. The first Chinese car tire factory in Europe - Shandong Linglong Tire Co. - is based there, in a harsh and cold desert location and Vietnamese workers have been hired to set up the huge facility.

Many human rights groups in Serbia have warned that the company may be involved in serious crimes like human trafficking and slavery, the report said.

According to The HK Post, Serbian activist Miso Zivanov told the media, "Vietnamese (workers) are working in terrible conditions. Their passports and identification documents have been taken by their Chinese employers. They have been here since May, and have received only one salary. They are trying to get back to Vietnam but first need to get back their documents."