(Broadcast on June 25, 2002)
On June 24, 2002, about 2,000 dependent workers [Relatives of state workers, who are assigned to work in collective work units. They are not classified as state staff and workers; they are not even taken as temporary workers. As such, they do not enjoy the benefits accorded to formal workers Ed.] gathered in the courtyard of the Daqing Petroleum Administration Bureau demanding pension benefits. After the demonstration, a woman dependent worker told me on the phone about their sustained fight for their rights.
Worker:
Ive been there today; there were about 2,000 people at the PAB.
Han Dongfang [Han]:
Did you block the traffic?
Worker:
We didnt. We are very reasonable, we are sensible; we are not unreasonable.
Han:
Who received you?
Worker:
Nobody received us today.
Han:
Did you send any representatives?
Worker:
Yes, we did. Didnt I say the representatives went to the court?
Han:
So you have already started the lawsuit?
Worker:
Yes, we have officially started the lawsuit.
Han:
Are you collectively taking the court action?
Worker:
Yes, of course. Collectively.
Han:
Did the court accept the case?
Worker:
I dont know.
Han:
Do you participate in the lawsuit?
Worker:
No, I dont participate. I didnt go.
Han:
Why dont you participate?
Worker:
I am illiterate!
Han:
Are you illiterate?
Worker:
Yes.
Han:
Will everybody continue going every day, after this?
Worker:
For sure, we will all be going, until we win our case! [We will only stop] when we they will give us enough money to live on.
Han:
What is you specific demand?
Worker:
Our specific demand is, well, to take us as formal workers.
Han:
Taken as formal workers?
Worker:
Yes.
Han:
Do you mean you are asking for formal retirement?
Worker:
Yes.
This old woman worker who came to Daqing in 1965 to join the Oil Battle continued to tell me about all the unjust treatment dealt to these Daqing dependent workers.
Worker:
Im a dependent worker. Im 67 years old this year, and I only get 50 yuan each month.
Han:
When did you come to Daqing?
Worker:
I came in 65. We came to pull the ploughs and farm the land; we did everything. We did every kind of work. We worked much harder than those f**king formal workers.
Han:
What job did you do for the longest? That is, what type of work?
Worker:
I made infrared ovens.
Han:
Infrared ovens?
Worker:
Yes.
Han:
Which work unit was it?
Worker:
Kitchenware Factory.
Han:
Kitchenware Factory?
Worker:
Yes!
Han:
When did you start getting 50 yuan?
Worker:
In 1990.
Han:
In 1990?
Worker:
Yes.
Han:
When did you retire?
Worker:
I retired in 86.
Han:
How much were you getting when you retired?
Worker:
I was only paid 10 yuan a month when I retired.
Han:
Ten yuan a month?
Worker:
Yes.
Han:
All the way, from 86 to 90?
Worker:
In 90? No, it was in 91or 92, when I started getting 50 yuan.
Han:
Do you have medical benefits?
Worker:
No, I dont.
Han:
What do you do if you need to see a doctor?
Worker:
Pay for it myself.
Han:
Pay for it yourself?
Worker:
Yes.
A retrenched worker told me on the phone that the government is arresting people, so very few of his retrenched fellow workers gather on Tieren [Iron Man] Square.
Worker:
Not a lot of people go there now. Maybe there are
probably a few dozens. There arent so many anymore.
Han:
Why dont they go anymore? Is [the problem] resolved?
Worker:
No. Its because we heard that they immediately arrest those who go.
Now, the number of retrenched workers in Daqing who take to the streets has dwindled, but since last Monday for five consecutive days, workers from Shengli [literally means Victory Ed.] Oil Field held street protests against the enterprises retrenchment package. An official from the complaint office of Dongyin City, where Shengli Oil Field situates, told me on the phone how the workers blocked roads and demonstrated these few days:
Official:
We are
taking care of it.
Han:
Which department is responsible for it?
Official:
Mainly the Petroleum Administrative Bureau (PAB). But probably some city government leaders went there too.
Han:
Did the workers come out again today?
Official:
They did in the last several days.
Han:
How many people were there today?
Official:
Today
well, I dont know the details. Why is that? Because they have some leaders assigned over there to talk to [the oilfield workers]; they live there.
Han:
Didnt they [the oilfield workers] come here to the city government?
Official:
They seem to have come a month or two ago. They seemed to be relatives of the oilfield workers.
Han:
The dependent workers came a month ago?
Official:
Yes.
Han:
And now its the retrenched workers, isnt it?
Official:
Yes.
A resident in Dongyin city whose home is not far from the junction of the road told me she saw the workers road blockade.
Resident:
They walked past several junctions below our building. Just sitting here, we could see them.
Han:
Did you see them demonstrate?
Resident:
Yes, I did.
Han:
How about today?
Resident:
It was relatively quiet these two days. But when it was more serious, all traffic was blocked. The busiest street became pedestrian zone. In any case, it was quite serious. Especially this patch downtown where there is a very busy junction, the crowd just blocked it. They sat there holding their umbrellas; the cars couldnt get through.
Han:
How old did these people look?
Resident:
Mostly between 30 and 40 years old.
As for the possibility of the workers continuing to demonstrate, this resident went on saying:
Resident:
Nobody came out [to demonstrate] for the past several days. I heard that the PAB had put them to some sort of ideological education meetings. [Before the meeting], the workers have stayed on for four to five days. It was like this a while ago. After they stopped, didnt they start it again? Anyway, it was on and off, on and off. No idea when it will finally stop. If they are not satisfied theyll come out again for sure, right?
Workers of Liaoyang Ferroalloy Factory who have temporarily halted their street demonstrations since mid-May pending the governments reply, sent representatives last week again to engage the deputy mayor in a dialogue on the release of the four arrested workers representatives. Guo Xiuqing, the wife of arrested workers representative Yao Fuxin, told me over the phone about the progress of the matter.
Guo:
The deputy mayor received us last Tuesday. He also said that the city government admitted they were wrong in certain things. The truth is that they themselves created certain situations; things were forced to happen this way. Even the [deputy] mayor said so. He said, We dont want things like this to happen either, but we couldnt help it under the circumstances back then. We could only act this way. He has been saying that if there is anything wrong [with the workers representatives], it should be settled in accordance with the laws as soon as possible. Otherwise, they should be released as soon as possible. He also said that he had filed reports several times and that he was still following through.
Han:
Which deputy mayor is that?
Guo:
Deputy Mayor Chen Qiang. Officials from the Industry Department, the general secretary [of the city government] and the head of the complaint office were all present when we met.
Han:
How many workers representatives were there?
Guo:
May be twelve? Or was it thirteen? Both old and young workers. Mayor Chen understands the workers concerns. But it doesnt count what he says!