The National Post published an article today titled; China’s ‘barefoot’ labour lawyers. It describing the rise of “citizens’ agents”, assisting some of China’s estimated 150 million migrant workers regarding their labour rights.

The article claims the state-backed All-China Federation of Trade Unions has done little to protect low paying labourers. This situation has allowed the citizens’ agents to develop a market of low cost legal services to assist workers. The citizens’ agents, often called ‘barefoot’ labour lawyers, have seen such high demand that licensed lawyers are now beginning to enter the labour law market as well. Their combined efforts have led to significant progress with respect to recognizing workers’ rights.