Since the mid-1990s, when China enacted its first national Labor Law, its laws and regulations governing the workplace have proliferated to keep pace with the country's rapid growth and expanded industrial base. Yet relatively few academics have focused on the field, and labor and employment law historically have been of rather limited concern even to many foreign investors.
Times have changed. In 2007 and 2008, China introduced three major national-level labor and employment laws after a drafting process that attracted extensive international commentary and participation. This new generation of legislation raises the compliance bar for employers and has led to a dramatic upsurge in labor arbitration and litigation since its passage. Another consequence of the reforms has been “aggressive efforts” by the “government-organized All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) . . . to organize and obtain contract protections for workers” (p. xii). Accordingly, understanding and responding to these changes in...
