Labor disputes on the rise

Labor disputes involving foreigners are on the rise, according to Dong Fang Daily (in Chinese). Last year, Shanghai Labor Board handled 64 such cases, up 33 percent from the year before. The biggest sticking point? You guessed it -- money. But, what most laowais don’t know is that in China, the statutory period regarding this type of grievance is only 60 days: meaning you only have 60 days from the day you are aware of a contractual violation regarding your employment to lodge a formal complaint with the labor board or even take legal action in a court of law (yeah, good luck on that one). Once the 60 day window has passed, neither the board, nor the court will even hear the matter, and the chance of your winning anything is effectively nil.

Shanghaiist isn't the biggest fan of the Chinese legal system, but it beats being left twisting in the wind by a mile. Although if all else fails, you can always come write for Shanghaiist -- we’ll buy you a beer to cry into.

Photo from Cal-Berkeley.