China International Marine Containers (Group) Ltd. (CIMC)

CIMC is a state-owned listed company found in 1980, and is among Forbes’s “Top 2000 World Leading Companies” in 2009. It has over 150 subsidiaries and 63,000 staff across China, North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Yi Yeting joined CIMC in 2003, working as a machine operator. He described his working environment as “filled with a mixture of irritating smells, coming from thinners, paints, smoke and dust from welding. You can smell that horrible smell once you walked within 500m of the factory.” The authorities have only carried out one inspection during the time Yi’s was working in CIMC. “The factory knew about the inspection beforehand and had prepared accordingly. Normally we can produce 140 containers per day; that day we made only 30. All the harmful chemicals like thinners were hidden away.”
In early 2005, Yi started showing signs of gum bleeding and bruising. Doctors told him that he had leukemia. He was only 25.
Suspecting that the disease is related to his job, Yi applied for occupational disease diagnosis. Although he did not directly handle paint or other solvents, he did work next to the painting station. The factory has not partitioned off the harmful procedure, nor had it provided adequate ventilation. Yet the hospital told him, “CIMC would never cause any occupational diseases!”
By chance Yi came across evidence of bribing by the factory to the local occupational disease diagnosis institutions. Suspicious, Yi appealed to the provincial diagnosis board and finally received a confirmed diagnosis in 2007. Only then could he be entitled to treatment under the national work injury system.
Since Yi’s success was made known, more workers from CIMC have stepped forward to demand recognition and compensation for their occupational diseases. Four more has been diagnosed. At the moment all five of them are still suing CIMC for civil compensation.
Yi Yeting joined CIMC in 2003, working as a machine operator. He described his working environment as “filled with a mixture of irritating smells, coming from thinners, paints, smoke and dust from welding. You can smell that horrible smell once you walked within 500m of the factory.” The authorities have only carried out one inspection during the time Yi’s was working in CIMC. “The factory knew about the inspection beforehand and had prepared accordingly. Normally we can produce 140 containers per day; that day we made only 30. All the harmful chemicals like thinners were hidden away.”
In early 2005, Yi started showing signs of gum bleeding and bruising. Doctors told him that he had leukemia. He was only 25.
Suspecting that the disease is related to his job, Yi applied for occupational disease diagnosis. Although he did not directly handle paint or other solvents, he did work next to the painting station. The factory has not partitioned off the harmful procedure, nor had it provided adequate ventilation. Yet the hospital told him, “CIMC would never cause any occupational diseases!”
By chance Yi came across evidence of bribing by the factory to the local occupational disease diagnosis institutions. Suspicious, Yi appealed to the provincial diagnosis board and finally received a confirmed diagnosis in 2007. Only then could he be entitled to treatment under the national work injury system.
Since Yi’s success was made known, more workers from CIMC have stepped forward to demand recognition and compensation for their occupational diseases. Four more has been diagnosed. At the moment all five of them are still suing CIMC for civil compensation.