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China Labor Watch notes Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry's (operated by Jiangsu Delong) online recruitment advert is deceptive, including the promise of 'paid leave every sixth months' at a time when a large number of workers were stranded and unable to return to China due to COVID-19.
Companies
Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry Company Ltd.
- Joint venture participant
,
PT Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry (VDNI)
- Employer
,
China First Heavy Industries (CFHI)
- Joint venture participant
Projects
PT Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry (VDNI) Nickel Smelter
- Site
Affected
Total individuals affected:
Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: (
Number unknown
- China
, Metals & steel
, Gender not reported
)
,
Workers: (
Number unknown
- Location unknown
, Metals & steel
, Gender not reported
)
Issues
Contract Substitution
,
Access to Information
,
Labour Rights
Action taken: The companies did not respond to the Resource Centre's request for comment.
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 22 Dec 2023
Location:
Indonesia
A Chinese construction worker said workers working for mining company Tsingtuo 'feel cheated by labour brokers' as advertisements do not reflect conditions upon arrival. One worker notes crowded living conditions, being promised four to a room but instead being in a room of 10. Recruitment also likely involves a significant number of third-party outsourced companies.
Companies
Tsingtuo Group
- Employer
Other
Not Reported (
Recruitment agencies
)
- Employer
Affected
Total individuals affected:
Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: (
Number unknown
- China
, Metals & steel
, Men
, Unknown migration status
)
,
Workers: (
Number unknown
- Location unknown
, Metals & steel
, Gender not reported
)
Issues
Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions
,
Contract Substitution
,
Labour Rights
,
Work & Conditions
In 2022, a construction worker was fined around USD 1400 for spreading information deemed harmful to the company. Another worker at the plant said discusses the company's information control procedures including taking workers' phones and not allowing messages following incidents, including the death of a worker.
Other
Not Reported (
Metals & steel
)
- Employer
Affected
Total individuals affected:
1
Migrant & immigrant workers: (
Number unknown
- China
, Metals & steel
, Men
, Unknown migration status
)
,
Workers: (
Number unknown
- Location unknown
, Metals & steel
, Gender not reported
)
Issues
Freedom of Expression
,
Ownership of Property & Possessions
,
Labour Rights
,
Intimidation
Response
Response sought: No
Source type: NGO
Summary
Date Reported: 22 Dec 2023
Location:
Indonesia
Chines migrant workers for Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry are employed via an intermediary. When they arrived in Indonesia, their passports were taken away as soon as they got off the plane. They then found that their salary had been changed from CNY 15,000 (around US$2,200) per month to a monthly subsidy of just CNY 1,000 (about US$150). According to CLW and media interviews with these workers, when they wanted to leave, the agency asked them to pay CNY50,000 (about US$7,400) each to get their passports back.
Companies
PT Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry (VDNI)
- Employer
,
Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry Company Ltd.
- Joint venture participant
Projects
PT Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry (VDNI) Nickel Smelter
- Operation
Affected
Total individuals affected:
4
Migrant & immigrant workers: (
Number unknown
- China
, Metals & steel
, Men
, Unknown migration status
)
,
Workers: (
Number unknown
- Location unknown
, Metals & steel
, Gender not reported
)
Issues
Contract Substitution
,
Denial of leave
,
Wage Theft
,
Retention of identity documents
,
Labour Rights
,
Intimidation
"Compounding Vulnerabilities: Chinese Workers In Indonesia" 22 December 2023
This report documents the findings of CLW’s investigation in China’s Belt and Road nickel production projects in Indonesia. It aims to amplify Chinese overseas workers’ voices through diving into their lived experiences in some of the largest nickel production industrial projects in Indonesia backed under ill-regulated Chinese capital...
CLW’s on-site research and correspondence with Chinese workers from 2021 to 2023 has found various egregious labor malpractices which were systematic and widespread:
Passport confiscation
Poor contracting practices
Withholding payment of wages
Workplace injuries and poor occupational safety
Absence of Indonesian work permit
Restriction of movement
Physical violence against the breaching of workplace rules and regulations.
...some of these issues–such as the restriction of movement, the lack of work permit, and illegal contracting practices–vary before and after the pandemic or by employers. The report highlights how these practices systematically disempower workers, erode their rights and freedom, and transfer companies’ business risks to the bearing of individual workers...
CLW's 2023 report on Indonesia's nickel production under China's Belt and Road Initiative uncovers systematic and widespread labor abuses, including passport confiscation, unpaid wages, and lack of safety.
CLW's 2023 report on Indonesia's nickel production under China's Belt and Road Initiative uncovers systematic and widespread labor abuses, including passport confiscation, unpaid wages, and lack of safety.
