China’s workers have emerged over the last few years as a strong, unified and increasingly active collective force…However, workers are still hampered by the lack of an effective trade union that can maintain solidarity, bargain directly with managements and protect labour leaders from reprisals…In China labour Bulletin’s new research report on the workers’ movement, published today, we examine this evolving relationship between the workers, the trade union and civil society and look at how the government is struggling to respond to rapid social and economic change…CLB recorded 1,171 strikes and worker protests from mid-2011 until the end of 2013…Local governments often got dragged into these disputes and responded with a mixture of conciliation and coercion…The police intervened in about 20 percent of the protests recorded by CLB and occasionally conflicts erupted, leading to beatings and arrests…