…[I]ndependent labor advocates say they have never faced so much intimidation - and they expect it to get worse this year.…The number of strikes more than doubled in 2014…from…the year before…

…[For] one of China’s most prominent labor activists, Zeng...had been held overnight in a police station without charge...Zhang…has lost count of how many times police questioned him…he has been forced to move 13 times…because…police told his landlords he was a politically problematic tenant...Police in Guangzhou and Shenzhen did not respond to requests for comment.

…One morning…men came to Zeng's office…kicked and punched him, breaking his glasses and leaving him with bruises on his leg and back. Last fall, Zhang's car was doused in gasoline and its rear window smashed. Both reported the incidents to police, but…Zhang says police did not investigate…

…[T]he police appear particularly concerned about groups receiving money from outside China…[O]fficials…have been encouraging workers to turn instead to the state-sponsored All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU)…Labour activists doubt that a Communist Party organ that has often sided with management or government can win the trust of people in dispute with their employers…