‘Chinese Labour Law: examining the impact of disputes resolution legislation’- JMS Development Workshop

The paper draws on three sources: written sources in China, including laws, edicts and instructions from various government organs, access to current debates within academia and China’s social media, and interviews with lawyers who are involved in labor cases. Interviews took place repeatedly between 2007 and 2011 with three key informants from three cities (Beijing, Qingdao and Shenzhen) and were supplemented by interviews and meetings with a range of lawyers, NGO organizers and other industrial relations participants, particularly in Beijing and Guangdong. Much access has been achieved because both authors have some active as well as academic involvement in the legislative and industrial relations processes within China. In addition to interviews, lawyers also allowed access to review specific case files of their clients (without compromising confidentiality rules) to corroborate interview data.