Protest Against Unpaid Pension Breaks Out in Southwestern City

CND, 12 April 1997

[CND, 12/04/97] A group of 200 angry retired workers led protests against their factory for failing to pay them pension in the southwestern city of Yibin, Sichuan, AFP reported. The demonstration later grew to 4,000 people when more joined from the streets. At one point, the protesters blocked a main street for two hours before finally leaving the scene without incident. A total of 200 local police and officers were deployed before the demonstration ended.

This phosphate fertilizer factory had long since ceased production because of mismanagement, one marcher explained. Retired workers were not receiving their pensions regularly and, in the worst cases, some had not been paid for a year.

Local officials, however, denied knowing such a demonstration when interviewed via telephone. I can't say if it happened or not, but I didn't hear about it, said one of the duty officer at the municipal government. (Jim YU, Guochen WAN)