By Tursunjan, December 15, 2023
According to China news reports, the Information Office of the People’s Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region held a press conference to introduce the situation of protecting the rights and interests of employees in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region colonized by the Chinese government. The rights of Uyghur workers are not mentioned.
Idris Mulati, a member and vice chairman of the Party Leadership Group of the Autonomous Region Federation of Trade Unions, who is also of Uyghur origin, said at the meeting, “Xinjiang’s new employment forms are booming, the types of occupations are becoming increasingly diverse, and the number of employees is expanding. As of now, there are more than 500,000 new employment forms in Xinjiang.”
The regional government defines “new employment form workers” as “people with the advancement of modern information technologies such as the Internet and big data, relying on Internet platforms to achieve employment. Their employment methods are different from traditional stable employment and flexible employment, mainly truck drivers, couriers, takeout delivery people, housekeepers, caregivers, real estate agents, webcasters, and other groups.”
Reports of forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have raised grave concerns across the globe. Evidence and reports indicate that the Chinese government is systematically forcing Uyghurs into various industries, contributing to a tainted global supply chain. Coercive measures such as arbitrary detentions and restrictions on freedom of movement have been proven. The United States has passed the “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act” to ban products made by Uyghur forced labor.
However, there is no data to show the ethnic background of these workers or what kind of benefits local Uyghurs receive from that policy.
Mehmetjan, from the Uyghur Union, told the Uyghur Times that there are not many Uyghur youth left to work in any type of private sector after many Uyghur men are sent to long-term prisons, and many are forced to work in factories in inland China. In the current environment, it is clear that any work benefits and private sectors are applied to the Han majority rather than Uyghurs.
