Mining

Unseen Workers: Conditions of Foreign Workers in Serbia

Download Report “I am a poor man, don’t let me get trapped,” a foreign worker in a tire factory in Serbia, told a staff at China Labor Watch (CLW). “Will I get in trouble for speaking to you?” These sentiments are not uncommon amongst foreign workers that CLW has reached out to in Serbia.  From July to October 2024, we conducted in-person and online interviews with migrant workers at two Chinese-owned companies – the Zijin Copper Mine and Linglong Tire Factory…

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Two Worker Deaths In Three Days at IMIP, Indonesia

On the morning of May 13, 2025, a Chinese worker tragically died while conducting furnace repairs at PT GCNS (Indonesia Guang Ching Nickel and Stainless Steel Industry) in Morowali, Indonesia. PT GCNS is a stainless-steel manufacturer located within PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP). The worker was electrocuted when conducting repairs and was rushed to the nearby medical clinic but unfortunately passed away before arrival.  The electrical panel was not shut off when the worker undertook furnace repairs, creating a…

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Chinese Construction Workers Strike Over Unpaid Wages at Nickel Smelting Project in Indonesia

On April 16th, 2025, over 100 Chinese construction workers at the PT Mitra Murni Perkasa (MMP) RKEF nickel smelting project in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan in Indonesia went on strike to protest unpaid wages. The workers reportedly have not been paid for four to five months. Many workers are owed wages since January, and several have not received wages since December.  Photo credit: Douyin Some workers have not been paid since December Photo credit: Douyin The construction project is contracted by…

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Advocating for workers’ rights in China

Chinese nickel processors face troubles in Indonesia

Operational challenges, protests, and nickel prices drop have disrupted production at multiple Chinese-run nickel processing plants in Indonesia. These, together with global uncertainties and a constricting global regulatory landscape, overshadow the sector’s growth prospect and affect the livelihood of thousands of those working in nickel plants.  Below are some recent developments at select Chinese plants. PT IMIP As Ramadan approaches, organized and spontaneous protests erupted in different parts of Indonesia. At Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), Indonesia’s largest nickel processing…

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Two Fatal Incidents at PT Dexin Steel Indonesia Highlight Urgent Need for Improved Worker Safety Standards

Sulawesi, Indonesia – October 26, 2024 – Two tragic fatalities have been reported at PT Dexin Steel Indonesia (DSI), a tenant company operating a steel production facility in the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) area in Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. Local sources indicate that an explosion occurred on the afternoon of October 25, 2024, in a nickel waste pool at the facility, resulting in the death of Laode Gunawan, an Indonesian worker who was trapped in the crane he operated. His…

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Forged-in-Silence-The-Untold-Stories-of-Chinese-Workers-at-Indonesias-Nickel-Plants

Forged in Silence – The Untold Stories of Chinese Workers at Indonesia’s Nickel Plants

On December 24th 2023, two of China Labor Watch’s staff traveled to a remote nickel plant in Indonesia to investigate reported labor violations and speak with workers. Two weeks later, an explosion occurred at the same plant, resulting in 22 fatalities. Our staff was not injured, but just days before they had published a report detailing our findings.  The overall findings of the investigations these past two years, as well as footage from the recent explosion, is included in an…

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