Sun, L and Liu, T (2016) Occupational diseases and migrant workers’ compensation claiming in China: an unheeded social risk in asymmetrical employment relationships. Health Sociology Review, 25 (1). pp. 122-136. ISSN 1446-1242
Abstract
As a result of rapid industrialisation in China, rural–urban migrant workers are increasingly susceptible to occupational diseases. Based on the concept of risk society, the occupational disease represents a distinctive industrial risk for migrant workers. However, this issue has been little explored from a sociological perspective, and this article aims to fill this gap by exploring migrant workers’ responses to occupational disease compensation. Despite the various laws on occupational diseases, migrant workers are generally unable to receive legal compensation. Instead, they have to negotiate with employers informally for private compensation. In addition to suffering physically from occupational diseases, the poor enforcement of public laws creates new social risks for workers, that is, the disadvantaged encounter unjust treatment, judicial injustice and social exclusion because their de jure entitlement is deprived. As a consequence, the laws aimed at protecting workers against accidents and occupational illnesses fail to reduce the power imbalance between employers and employees.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Keywords: | Migrant workers, occupational diseases, social protection, risk society, China |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Sociology and Social Policy (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 22 Feb 2018 16:46 |
Last Modified: | 22 Feb 2018 16:46 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/14461242.2015.1099113 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:127161 |