A group of construction workers held banners in front of the highway bureau in Xinyang, Henan, on 12 February demanding long-overdue payment of wages. The workers had been responsible for the government’s high-profile “Rainbow Bridge” repair project but, more than a half a year after the project had been completed, they had still not been paid.
Xinyang’s “Rainbow Bridge” had been badly damaged by increased traffic. It was also a vital part of the city’s infrastructure, providing a route for heavy trucks transporting construction materials daily. With increasing concern being voiced over the bridge’s safety, the municipal government announced the repair project in 2016.
Workers protesting outside the Highway Bureau urged the government to pay them before the New Year so that they could return home to their families for the holiday.