Gansu Workers Stand Up for Their Rights
China Labour Bulletin, 23 August 2002
Beginning on the morning of August 22, 2002 between 50 and 60 workers from the Yumin Ore Processing Factory, a subsidiary of the Baiyin Nonferrous Metals Company, staged a collective sit-in at the office at the parent company's general manager. The workers were demanding payment of 12 months' wage arrears, and a definite policy of either re-employment or lay off (or alternative severance arrangement). The Yumin Ore Processing Factory is in Baiyin city, Gansu province. The husband of a worker from the company telephoned CLB to explain the situation:
[Publisher's note: I had to guess some garbled characters.]
Worker:
There were 50 or 60 people down there today. They all in their thirties or over and right now are sat in the office waiting to see the manager.
Han:
Whose office are they staging the sit-in in?
Worker:
The general manager called Yang Ziqiang. The workers are still sitting there now and don't look like coming out at the moment. Yang has been pushing the Yincheng Company [another local company] to get involved. The manager from the Yincheng Company is saying this has nothing to do with him and is a matter for the factory itself. The fact is that the top people [i.e. the Baiyin Nonferrous Metals Company] appointed him to run this plant and there's nothing he can do.
Han:
Before today's sit-in, have the workers organised any other actions?
Worker:
Oh yes! Two or three a month. One pretty successful time was when they
hung up some banners and blocked the main roads around the Baiyin
Company [Baiyin Nonferrous Metals Company] building. That protest was
in June but it all started back in April and the actions have been on
and off ever since. The problem is that the company is refusing to say
anything concrete and is trying to push the whole issue onto the back
burner. One day they will say yes, we will sort this out in the
next two days
and then the next day they say fill in this form
and we will make sure you get the minimum livelihood allowance
and
then nothing happens for two weeks. Every time they cheat the workers
like this, they feel they have been duped and organise a protest.
The caller then went on to explain the workers' concrete demands.
Worker:
The minimum demand, or rather the best solution, would be to find jobs for the workers. But if this can't be done then they should at least pay off the wage arrears. And then there is the six months livelihood allowance to pay off. The workers have to pay their children's schools fees but there is no way they can earn a living.
Han:
When did the wage arrears start?
Worker:
In January this year. That eight months without paying a penny and yet they still tell the workers to hand over Rmb 240 month saying that labour pension contributions are insufficient. The pension funds will be void if the contributions have fallen short for a year. The workers call for parity with the treatment that laid off workers should get, which means paying the lay off livelihood allowance. The minimum benchmark for laid off workers at our company is Rmb 280 a month. This is because the plant is still not bankrupt so these guys are still formal state workers.
I telephoned the general manager's reception office at the Baiyin Nonferrous Metals Company where a cadre told me that workers were still sitting in his office:
Cadre:
Er yes, we are dealing with it right now.
Han:
Are the workers still there?
Cadre:
Er, yes
Han:
Are there any people acting as workers' representatives?
Cadre:
Not as yet. There are only a few dozen people here. They are here to get their grievances aired. They already held talks this morning.
Han:
The workers arrived this morning?
Cadre:
Yes.
Han:
And they have been there ever since?
Cadre:
Yes.
Han:
Have the talks ended?
Cadre:
I can't say exactly as this situation is very complicated.
A trade union [All-China Federation of Trade Unions] official from the Baiyin Company said this was the third time the workers had adopted this kind of collective petition since last week.
Trade Union Cadre:
This is is the third time. The main issue is that the enterprise is inefficient and doesn't have the money to pay wages. So the workers have started petitioning.
Han:
What are their actual demands?
Trade Union Cadre:
The demands are, they want the wage arrears to be paid. But this is a problem related to the market and inefficiency.
Han:
You mentioned this is the third petition, what happened on the other two occasions?
Trade Union Cadre:
They came last week and the day before yesterday and now today as well.
This trade union cadre also told me that it was very hard for the union to uphold both workers' interests and industrial peace at the company while it remained under the leadership of the Party:
Trade Union Cadre:
These days, trade unions at enterprise level during these reforms—Well you probably know very well the situation that Chinese trade unions are in—we are trade unions under the leadership of the Party. For sure we need to uphold the normal activities of the enterprise and also uphold workers' interests. These are two tasks we have to fully grasp as enterprise trade unions. If we don't carry out both of them then we lean to one side and can only carry out one or the other. This for enterprise trade unions, believe me, is is difficult!
At five pm in the afternoon, I again telephoned the general manager's office and talked to a director called Mr. Tuo.
Director Tuo:
We are dealing with it.
Han:
Have the workers left?
Director Tuo:
They're gone.
Han:
When did they leave?
Director Tuo:
This afternoon.
Han:
What kind of solution was reached in the end?
Director Tuo:
We'e are still sorting it out.
Han:
What kind of answer did you give the workers today?
Director Tuo:
Well, the problem today was that the main leaders were not here.
Han:
So that effectively means that the problem is still ongoing?
Director Tuo:
What! What do you think you're saying? I am not carrying on with this interview. I am not telling you anything!
Han:
Why not?
Director Tuo:
We came up with a solution some time ago and we are gradually working it out!
Han:
Do the workers accept the solution?
Director Tuo:
Whether the workers accept it or not, his company is already in dire straits. You people haven't been here to interview anyone or ask [about the situation]. I am telling you, we are searching for a solution and in fact we already have a plan in hand.
Han:
So you have a plan which the workers don't accept and are petitioning you. What are you going to do about this problem?
Director Tuo:
Solve the problem. We are looking into it and will hold more talks.
Han:
Do you think the workers will come again?
Director Tuo:
I don't know. Only they know that.