The murder and mayhem in Chinese coal mines continues unabated. Reports from the mainland media, the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) and China Labour Bulletin show that there were over 100 deaths in the third week of May alone. The true figure for annual fatalities is well over the official record of 10,000 and these dreadful figures show no signs of abating. The problem is so grave that the Chinese media regularly condemns the situation with headlines such as the one above. No doubt the recent rise in the price of coal is directly connected to the renewed onslaught of accidents and fatalities, but the problems facing Chinese miners go much deeper.

      The new Chinese leadership has a stark choice before it. Either it can take the necessary decisions that can start to bring the situation under control, or it can continue with the policy of top-down bureaucratic measures and decrees issued from the capital that have failed Chinese coal miners and by implication, miners everywhere.

      This is not the time to cast doubts on the sincerity of government leaders and their stated aim to raise safety in coal mines up to an acceptable level. This is the time for trade unions everywhere to use all means at their disposal to urge the Chinese government to take the plunge and allow Chinese workers control over hazardous working conditions via directly-elected occupational safety and health committees. As the endless harrowing reports on coal mining accidents in both the Chinese and international media demonstrate, everything else has been tried: There is no longer any excuse for delay.

      The only people who are directly profiting from the current situation are local mine bosses and corrupt local officials. The behaviour of these people is already illegal in China. There are laws in place that restrict government officials from personally profiting from mining activities. There is a Work Safety Law that makes it illegal for coal operators to dig coal without satisfying thorough and clearly stated safety procedures. There is a coal industry health and safety law that has been in operation for more than a decade. If these laws and other related regulations were even halfway implemented, there would be a dramatic improvement within a year.

      The HKCTU does not wish to understate the complexities of safety issues in the mining industry. Criminal activity, corruption and greed are not the only factors to be considered in China. For example "local protectionism" is rife in China. This refers to local authorities turning a blind eye to policies that they perceive as unsuitable to the local conditions. Cash-strapped township and county governments are sometimes totally dependent on taxes from coal mining to pay the wages of civil servants, teachers and emergency services. Farmers facing competition from cheaper imported crops are being forced off the land in increasing numbers, sometimes into mining jobs where safety is non-existent. Privatisation and sub-contracting of individual shafts from state-owned mines to private operators is a common practice that only invites disaster. Some state-owned mines are even laying off skilled miners in favour of farmers on a fraction of the wages. Investment in safety equipment is often sidelined, even in so-called "key mines". The recent rise in the price of coal has also been a factor as illegal mines operating in remote areas make their contribution to the ongoing tragedy.

      Is the figures show, the traditional responses are failing. President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have already demonstrated a capacity to make unprecedented decisions, as the very public sackings of the Minister for Health and Beijing's mayor in the middle of the SARS crisis have demonstrated. In terms of numbers and fatalities, the crisis in China's coal industry is graver than SARS. We need more safety inspectors and the speedy establishment of a coal-industry inspectorate that is independent and centrally-funded. But unlike SARS, there is no need to draft in top-salary experts, scientists or researchers to find a vaccine. The 'vaccine' has been around for a long time. Moreover, it is sustainable and inexpensive.

      And it's not rocket-science. Directly-elected worker occupational safety and health committees are the only way to begin to seriously address the crisis in the mines. The committees need not represent a political challenge to the state-run official trade union, and in any case many mines do not have a union at all. The committees we are proposing are provided for in China's revised Trade Union. Moreover, the recently introduced Work Safety Law could give the committees real clout as it provides workers with the right to refuse to work in a life-threatening environment and outlaws employers taking revenge. As a vocal member of the ILO as well as ruling over the country with the largest coal industry in the world, the Chinese government has a direct responsibility to demonstrate that coal-mining in a developing country can be safe and efficient.

      The government is fond of announcing it is "wholeheartedly relying on the working class" for the success of its reform policies. It is time to put this into practice.