Ole Wolff refuses to recognise a workplace union formed by the employees as a result of their dissatisfaction with conditions at the plant, under the name Ole Wolff Yantai Workplace Union. Instead, the factory management decided to dismiss six of the women union activists, according to labour researcher Au Loong-Yu, of the Hong Kong based NGO Globalisation Monitor. It is highly unusual for workers in China  to form their own workplace union. In this case, the union formed by the workers was later recognised by China's official trade union movement, the ACFTU, in October 2006. At the moment, the Ole Wolff Yantai Workplace Union is affiliated to ACFTU and directly under the supervision of the ACTU Fushan District. Another remarkable fact is that the workers have been using the internet to keep the Chinese and other readers informed, by means of a blog (in Chinese). Moreover, the Chinese union got directly in touch with the Danish union 3F, in April this year.

Chinese courts on two levels have ordered Ole Wolff Company to reinstate the six dismissed workers, but until this date, the factory continues to deny them access to the plant.

A detailed chronology of events at the Chinese Ole Wolff plant was made by Globalisation Monitor.

Read the full articles by Peter Rasmussen in the newsletter of the Danish union 3F, as well as the response by the CEO of Ole Wolff on www.business-humanrights.org.