I imagine that they're so bogged down with complaints, legitimate and otherwise, not to mention the ever present and unavoidable aspect of bureaucracy, that they're simply ineffectual. I have, however, seen some successes in terms of getting positive and helpful response. I've also seen a few situations where FT's have resorted to local lawyers and have had acceptable results by going that route. Personally, I had some success in settling a salary dispute - a year after the fact, by having a local businessman re-initiate communication with my past employers. Unfortunately, though, I think we can take it as a general rule of thumb that there is little one can do once they've been ripped off here in China. As has been written hundreds of times in this forum, teachers and would be teachers need to do an extreme amount of research before taking on a position.

Another generality, that I agree with, is to be extremely skeptical when it comes to dealing with private schools as perspective employers. Not that one won't have problems with public and private universities or colleges; however, in those situations it is a little easier to get assistance if problems arise. Also, it's important to remember that you do have bargaining power when it comes to dealing with such problems. Although it has been often said here that a contract doesn't really protect you, the truth of the matter is that it is a contract and the courts see it as such. When push comes to shove, if you're willing to go that far, the law is the law.

In my own situation, as cited above, I happened to remember (duh) that the college in question had been and was still using a promotional brochure that had my picture in it. They had never asked my permission to do so. In fact, said permission must be given in writing. That was my bargaining chip and it resulted in my being paid in full what they thought they had managed to sleaze out of me.

Finally, although the reality of Guanxi can work against you, in that many employers, anticipating problems that may arise as the result of their unlawful actions, have established the necessary connections to mitigate the damage of those actions, there is also the reality of face saving and that can often work in your favor.