The shift from a state planned economy to a market economy has brought workplace conflict into the limelight as workers increasingly sue to protect their rights. China’s 1994 Labor Law provides guarantees of union representation and social benefits, but often the workers rights are simply ignored by employers. Workers in China hope that pursuing their cause through the legal system will serve as a wake-up call to companies.
See "Chinese, Too, Start to Sue to Protect Their Rights", Elisabeth Rosenthal, International Herald Tribune, June 17, 2001