Mr Huang in sash
The Center was founded by Mr Leping Huanga lawyer and expert in Chinese labor law who has received many awards and prizes recognizing his achievements in the field of labor rights. Mr Huang recognized the importance of labor rights and the urgent need to improve Chinese labor law after himself experiencing an injury at work. In 2004,he injured his right knee during a basketball game organized by his then employer. Even though he was an in-house counsel of the organization, it took almost three years for his workplace injury to be recognized and to be compensated. In 2004, Mr Huang began providing free legal consultation to workers from all over China. In 2005 he launched the online Occupational Injury Legal Service and established the Beijing Yishe Labor Consultation Center, a specialized labor legal service and research center. With his firsthand experience of workplace injury and a wide range of professional activities in the area of labor law behind him, Mr Huang was well-placed to found the Beijing Yilian Legal Aid and Study Center of Labor in August 2007.
The Beijing Yilian Legal Aid and Study Center of Labor is a civil society organization committed to advancing labor rights in China and to improving the labor law. The Center provides legal aid to workers experiencing financial hardship and to workers with disabilities.
It also conducts research into labor rights and law, advocates for positive change in Chinese labor law and policy and engages in awareness-raising activities promoting labor rights protection.
Mr Han with client
Mr Han inspects injury
Since the Center’s establishment in 2007 it has achieved much on behalf of Chinese workers. From then on, the team has provided free legal assistance to more than 100,000 workers through a telephone hotline.emails, face-to-face consultations and legal representation. The Center focuses on Beijing, but has also appointed lawyers in other provinces to act in cases handled by the legal aid service. The Center intends to further extend its network of offices to strengthen labor rights and to meet gaps in the availability of legal resources at the local level.
The Center has published dozens of academic and professional books and papers. It also contributes regularly to newspapers, magazines and online forums easily accessible to workers, such as China Comment and The Beijing News. Mr Huang has featured in many Chinese and international media special reports on labor rights and labor law.
Mr Huang in sash
The work of the Center has had a positive impact on trade unions, legal aid institutions and the legal profession in China, as evidenced in the public recognition and many honors that it has received.