In June this year I signed two originals of my employment contract for the period 2010/2011. I had agreed to its conditions and both copies were sent to the employer's management (a large public university). There followed a three month delay in getting my passport returned with a new Residence Visa applied in it. I had to threaten my employer with legal action and I finally got my passport back on September 30th complete with new visa. But not the contract. I asked verbally and in writing for the contract and Foreign Expert's Certificate and I only got the latter. After further requests in writing and verbally for the contract to be returned to me sealed, I finally received it on December 20th.

However, it is not the document I signed in June. The bulk of its content is the same but certain insertions and changes have been made and some significant errors too. The big red seal has been applied to it but my signature is clearly a photocopy that has been cut from the original contract and pasted onto the new document so as to make it seem genuine. But it did not work and I have written to my employer pointing out the bare bones in that the document is not the one I signed and that the signature is a photocopy. I have pointed out that as such it is not a genuine nor therefore valid employment contract and that again, I am being forced into an illegal situation. I have also written to the same lawyer who advised me over the delayed passport matter in September and I await his response.

Can anyone make any sensible comments or offer any sensible advice - my belief is that such behaviour as falsifying an essential legal document in this way is tantamount to a criminal offence in China - anyone agree with that?

Dave