China to increase punishment for violations of work-related illness law

China's top legislature on Monday reviewed an amendment to a law regarding occupational illnesses which sets harsher punishment for violations. Licensing authorities for construction projects will be given criminal sanctions if their actions violate the law and constitute crimes, according to the draft amendment to the Law on Occupational Illness Prevention and Control, which was submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee for its second reading. The authorities may be fired if they arbitrarily approve licenses for construction projects, the draft amendment said. The draft amendment said that employers who violate the law and do serious damage to an employee's life or health will be fined between 100,000 yuan (15,689 U.S. dollars) and 500,000 yuan. The fine's ceiling was previously set at 300,000 yuan. The NPC's bimonthly session is scheduled to be held from Oct. 24 to 29.