Trade union body, judicial authorities highlight cases to safeguard workers' rights

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions, along with the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, highlighted 10 notable cases encroaching on the rights of individual workers on Thursday, underscoring the need to better safeguard people's working rights.

The disclosed cases encompass labor relation disputes between workers and employers, including those on employers' illegal actions related to wage arrears, unpaid social insurance, and work-related injuries.

In a case that occurred in May 2024, for instance, employees of a ceramics factory and chemical plant in Qujing, Yunnan province, reported that the companies withheld their pension insurance and medical insurance payments for a long time and turned to the city-level federation of trade unions.

The local trade unions federation then worked with other departments to investigate the companies' situation, their employees' insurance coverage, and the insurance payment arrears. Also, it offered assistance to employees in difficulties and actively communicated with the companies to let them correct the problems.

In August 2024, the chemical plant reached a consensus with worker representatives and paid medical insurance arrears of 3.27 million yuan ($467,000). The other arrears were finished after the company resumed regular operation. Additionally, the ceramics company paid back the pension insurance arrears for 46 employees as of the end of 2025 and is carrying forward the pension contributions for other employees.

Zhu Yanli, director of the legal affairs department under the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, said at a news conference on Thursday that the federation has closely worked with prosecutors to include workers' rights protection into public-interest litigation, and the cases published are useful grassroots practices of this kind.

She added that the federation has also been proactive in addressing new challenges workers face while safeguarding their rights, suggesting prosecutorial departments incorporate workers' rights protection into public interest litigation at the legislative level.