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Working conditions and workers' rights have been front-and-center in China these past few months.  Chinese workers' increasing willingness to assert their rights is explained in part by two laws enacted in 2008 that streamlined the dispute resolution process and tightened employment contract requirements, the New York Times reports.  These laws have increased workers' expectations, but the economic crisis and other factors have led to inconsistent enforcement.

A main goal of 2008's Labor Contract Law was to ensure that full-time employees have written contracts and severance pay entitlements. However, some workers allege that their hours are being underreported to avoid overtime liability, and that offered severances are insufficient.

Regarding dispute resolution, in the two years since the Law of Mediation and Arbitration for Labor Disputes took effect, authorities have struggled to keep up with the flood of cases, with some parties waiting up to one year to have grievances heard.  In 2008, 700,000 grievances were submitted to arbitration (almost double the number submitted in 2007) and 280,000 arbitration rulings were appealed to civil courts (a 94% increase from 2007).