On January 2, approximately 1000 retired workers stopped traffic on the rail line between Wuhan and Xiangfan for 2 and ½ hours. They were protesting against the cut off of their retirement subsidy paid directly by the Tieshu Textile Corporation and the upcoming bankruptcy of the enterprise brought about, they argue, by the corruption of the enterprises managers and local city officials. The retired workers were publicizing their cause and seeking an investigation by provincial and central government officials.
Tragically, one worker aged 54, died after suffering a stroke during the protest.
On January 4th the Public Security Bureau (PSB) posted a public notice urging the leaders of the protest to turn themselves in and asking their families and fellow workers to turn them in as well. The PSB stated the street action was illegal and a serious disruption of public order and traffic. They said that the leaders would be treated more leniently if they turned themselves in.
A retired worker told CLB that both uniformed and plain-clothes police have been patrolling the factory’s housing since the protest, knocking on doors and looking for the protest leaders. She told CLB that “the factory’s union was not helping the workers but helping the management and the government instead.” “We have more trust in the central government than we do in the union”. According to the Administrative Office of the Corporation, the union was part of a working group, working with the management to stop the workers protest.
The manager of the corporation’s Office of Retired Workers told CLB that “the workers were obviously only asking for their legal rights.” “Nobody damaged any property and there was no violence” during the protest.
According to one source the corporation employs approximately 7,000 workers and currently has approximately 3,000 retired workers.
CLB’s Director, Han Dongfang argued that these types of protest will continue unless some action is taken to negotiate with workers. “The continued reform of the state sector will cause further pressure on state enterprises like the Tieshu Textile Corporation and this pressure combined with increasing corruption will only push workers to take their concerns to the street. The only long-term solution is for management and workers to sit down at the bargaining table and forge solutions together.”
China Labour Bulletin
2002-01-07