Workers

New documentary on Chinese migrant workers

There are an estimated 150 million plus rural migrants on the move in China in search of jobs. Because of the current “Hukou” system of residence permits, most are dependant on their employer for legality and security. Often they are given no formal contracts which mean no formal residency in the cities, no social security, no accident insurance and no basic provisions for their families.

A new film shown on Link TV (a free access internet TV broadcast) looks at the lives of some of these illegal migrants.

http://www.linktv.org/programs/migrantworkers

“In modern day China millions of migrant workers are on the move to search for better living. Since labor in the rural areas is badly paid, many people are moving to big cities like Shanghai. For China this uncontrolled and illegal movement has become a heavy social problem, a fact that officials are often trying to suppress.

For one year, director Christoph Tubbenthal managed to bypass Chinese government controls to film in a country whose booming economic growth is stirring fear in the U.S. His observations give an exclusive and intimate portrait of China's outlaw migrant workers”.
For more information visit filmmaker Christoph Tubbenthal’s (AKA Christian Schidlowski) website , in German.

[Link TV states: Link TV broadcasts programs that engage, educate and activate viewers to become involved in the world. These programs provide a unique perspective on international news, current events, and diverse cultures, presenting issues not often covered in the U.S. media.]

IHLO
June 2007