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June 4: freedom to organize workers in China!

02.06.15 Urgent Action
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HKCTUrighttoorganizereducedOn June 4, Independent unions in Hong Kong, organized in the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), annually commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, which crushed the democracy movement and the first stirrings of independent workers' organizations. This year, they are calling for an end to the ongoing repression of worker organizing and protest. CLICK HERE TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

The state authorities are becoming increasingly aggressive as Chinese workers press their demands through strike action and organizing. Striking workers and activists are arrested and detained; labour support organizations have been forced to close; and new legislation on NGOs and national security would further restrict freedom of association.

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Workers were beaten and arrested during the massive strike last year by thousands of workers demanding their legal social security entitlements at Yue Yuen in southern China, the world's largest footwear manufacturer which produces for Nike and Adidas.

This year, the HKCTU has issued a June 4 Declaration calling on the Chinese government to release all imprisoned labour activists; stop repression and violence against worker activists and representatives; ratify and implement ILO Conventions 87 and 98, giving workers the legal right to form trade unions, to strike and to negotiate the terms of their employment; and drop the constraints on worker rights defenders receiving international support.

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