9. Discrimination

In 1998, the ILO passed the Declaration on the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. These principles and rights include freedom of association, collective bargaining, no forced labor, no child labor, and no discrimination at work.

In China, discrimination can often be observed in the context of employment. Key issues cover discriminatory health checks such as Hepatitis B and pregnancy and discrimination related to region, gender and age. In addition, access to both education and the legal social security system are limited for migrant workers. Since they are officially categorized as rural residents, they cannot acquire permanent residence in cities or the related public benefits. In some cities, the government cannot provide good jobs for rural workers, who have to do low-wage jobs that urban residents are not willing to do. In recent years, the Chinese government has taken some important measures such as the regulation of minimum wage and enforcement of employment contracts to help rural workers with recruitment and occupational training. In 2008, a new Employment Promotion Law was promulgated to prohibit discriminatory health check such as for Hepatitis B.