(Broadcast on July 11, 2001)
Industrial Unrest in Inner Mongolia
On July 6th, 2001 over 1,000 workers from a sugar factory in the Inner Mongolian city of Linhe gathered outside the party offices of the Lake Bayan district to protest against wage arrears. They demanded that the government fulfill its duty to provide workers with livelihood guarantees. Following the incident, the head of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region issued a directive to the police to trace the workers leaders. In radio interviews conducted by CLB co-ordinator Han Dongfang, local officials from the Lake Bayan district labour bureau and party committee confirmed the incident had taken place and that such protests were common due to chronic wage arrears.
The following are excerpts from CLBs conversations with officials and workers involved in the Linhe Sugar Factory protest. The first call was to an official of the Bayan district party committee:
CLB:
What are the workers unhappy with?
Official:
They want an unconditional guarantee on the right to receive social security. However, to get unemployment or pension rights, their employer must have paid into social security funds over a long period.
CLB:
What is the financial situation of the sugar factory?
Official:
The employers suspended payments into the social security funds a long time ago. According to government regulations, this means that their employees rights payments are invalid as a result.
CLB:
Whose responsibility is this state of affairs?
Official:
The employers. Its not an unusual situation as many enterprises are broke.
CLB:
So the problem is that the workers right to social security has been rendered invalid by the employers behaviour.
Official:
Wages have also been suspended. The factory has been losing money for a number of years and is no longer producing anything. If they are not producing anything, how can they pay wages?
CLB:
So whats the current situation? Any solutions?
Official:
Things are basically sorted out and the matter has been reported to the government of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. They have issued instructions to track down the people manipulating and stirring up the situation from behind the scenes. These are orders from the leader of the regions government himself.
CLB:
Have they investigated anyone?
Official:
The public security bureau (PSB) is getting on to it right now.
CLB:
Do they have any suspects?
Official:
I dont know, but I couldnt tell you even if I did.
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CLB then rang the Bayan district labour bureau. An official told us that collective demonstrations by workers had been an almost daily occurrence over the previous few months. The main reason for the unrest was unpaid wages.
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Labour Bureau:
They come all the time to present petitions.
CLB:
Everyday?
Labour Bureau:
More or less, yes.
CLB:
Who do they petition?
Labour Bureau:
Local government departments
CLB:
All from one enterprise or various different factories?
Labour Bureau:
Different factories.
CLB:
How many people are taking part today?
Labour Bureau:
Thirty or forty workers. Basically, people are demonstrating for better living conditions and livelihood allowance or back wages. Lots of companies have gone bankrupt or stopped production so they dont pay wages.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another incident took place in mid-May when 200 workers from the nearby Dengkou County Chemical Fertiliser Factory blocked the Baotou-Lanzhou railway line for over an hour. An official from the Dengkou county complaints office reported that the government decided, as a temporary measure, to distribute chemical fertiliser for the workers to sell in lieu of wages. They also ordered local police to find out who had organised the demonstration. In a telephone interview, a worker from the factory said he had received five tons of fertiliser in lieu of three months wages. He was pessimistic over the chances of receiving anything for the remaining five months wages owed to him.
CLB spoke with an official from the Dengkou county complaints department:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Official:
My guess is that the factory owes a good deal of money to the workers and is not in a position to pay up due to bankruptcy. So they decided to give the workers chemical fertiliser in lieu of wages.
CLB:
What?
Official:
Fertiliser. Instead of cash.
CLB:
Your saying that they handed out stocks of chemical fertiliser instead of wages?
Official:
Yes.
CLB:
How many months of wages were in arrears?
Official:
Six to seven months
CLB:
How long did the workers block the railway for?
Official:
About 20 minutes. The sugar factory is right at the side of the railway line. They were going to the county office and marched along the road that leads to the railway intersection. It wasnt an organised action and it temporarily held up one train.
CLB:
Are they [the authorities] after the leaders?
Official:
They are investigating but havent taken any concrete steps so far. It was a temporary action and wasnt organised. They walked down top the lake and gathered there for a while. The investigation is for the judicial department and doesnt involve us.
CLB:
From the point of view of your complaints department, if any workers are arrested or imprisoned, do you think this could lead to further trouble?
Official:
Well have see what happens in practice.
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A worker from the Dengkou chemical fertiliser factory confirmed that he had been given fertiliser in lieu of wages. But he was still owed for five months.
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Worker:
The fertiliser represented three months wages.
CLB:
How much?
Worker:
Five tons of the stuff.
CLB:
How much back pay do they owe you now?
Worker:
Five months three thousand bucks. Everyones in the same boat.
CLB:
Do you think you will get it?
Worker:
No.
CLB:
Whats the next step?
Worker:
Were not sure yet. If they gave us some guarantees, we wouldnt have to make a fuss.
CLB:
You have been working at the company for a long time. What will you do for a living?
Worker:
I dont know. Right now we want the money we are owed, but we cant even get this. Well have to carry on protesting until we are satisfied.
Industrial Unrest in Inner Mongolia
On July 6th, 2001 over 1,000 workers from a sugar factory in the Inner Mongolian city of Linhe gathered outside the party offices of the Lake Bayan district to protest against wage arrears. They demanded that the government fulfill its duty to provide workers with livelihood guarantees. Following the incident, the head of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region issued a directive to the police to trace the workers leaders. In radio interviews conducted by CLB co-ordinator Han Dongfang, local officials from the Lake Bayan district labour bureau and party committee confirmed the incident had taken place and that such protests were common due to chronic wage arrears.
The following are excerpts from CLBs conversations with officials and workers involved in the Linhe Sugar Factory protest. The first call was to an official of the Bayan district party committee:
CLB:
What are the workers unhappy with?
Official:
They want an unconditional guarantee on the right to receive social security. However, to get unemployment or pension rights, their employer must have paid into social security funds over a long period.
CLB:
What is the financial situation of the sugar factory?
Official:
The employers suspended payments into the social security funds a long time ago. According to government regulations, this means that their employees rights payments are invalid as a result.
CLB:
Whose responsibility is this state of affairs?
Official:
The employers. Its not an unusual situation as many enterprises are broke.
CLB:
So the problem is that the workers right to social security has been rendered invalid by the employers behaviour.
Official:
Wages have also been suspended. The factory has been losing money for a number of years and is no longer producing anything. If they are not producing anything, how can they pay wages?
CLB:
So whats the current situation? Any solutions?
Official:
Things are basically sorted out and the matter has been reported to the government of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. They have issued instructions to track down the people manipulating and stirring up the situation from behind the scenes. These are orders from the leader of the regions government himself.
CLB:
Have they investigated anyone?
Official:
The public security bureau (PSB) is getting on to it right now.
CLB:
Do they have any suspects?
Official:
I dont know, but I couldnt tell you even if I did.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLB then rang the Bayan district labour bureau. An official told us that collective demonstrations by workers had been an almost daily occurrence over the previous few months. The main reason for the unrest was unpaid wages.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Labour Bureau:
They come all the time to present petitions.
CLB:
Everyday?
Labour Bureau:
More or less, yes.
CLB:
Who do they petition?
Labour Bureau:
Local government departments
CLB:
All from one enterprise or various different factories?
Labour Bureau:
Different factories.
CLB:
How many people are taking part today?
Labour Bureau:
Thirty or forty workers. Basically, people are demonstrating for better living conditions and livelihood allowance or back wages. Lots of companies have gone bankrupt or stopped production so they dont pay wages.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another incident took place in mid-May when 200 workers from the nearby Dengkou County Chemical Fertiliser Factory blocked the Baotou-Lanzhou railway line for over an hour. An official from the Dengkou county complaints office reported that the government decided, as a temporary measure, to distribute chemical fertiliser for the workers to sell in lieu of wages. They also ordered local police to find out who had organised the demonstration. In a telephone interview, a worker from the factory said he had received five tons of fertiliser in lieu of three months wages. He was pessimistic over the chances of receiving anything for the remaining five months wages owed to him.
CLB spoke with an official from the Dengkou county complaints department:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Official:
My guess is that the factory owes a good deal of money to the workers and is not in a position to pay up due to bankruptcy. So they decided to give the workers chemical fertiliser in lieu of wages.
CLB:
What?
Official:
Fertiliser. Instead of cash.
CLB:
Your saying that they handed out stocks of chemical fertiliser instead of wages?
Official:
Yes.
CLB:
How many months of wages were in arrears?
Official:
Six to seven months
CLB:
How long did the workers block the railway for?
Official:
About 20 minutes. The sugar factory is right at the side of the railway line. They were going to the county office and marched along the road that leads to the railway intersection. It wasnt an organised action and it temporarily held up one train.
CLB:
Are they [the authorities] after the leaders?
Official:
They are investigating but havent taken any concrete steps so far. It was a temporary action and wasnt organised. They walked down top the lake and gathered there for a while. The investigation is for the judicial department and doesnt involve us.
CLB:
From the point of view of your complaints department, if any workers are arrested or imprisoned, do you think this could lead to further trouble?
Official:
Well have see what happens in practice.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A worker from the Dengkou chemical fertiliser factory confirmed that he had been given fertiliser in lieu of wages. But he was still owed for five months.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Worker:
The fertiliser represented three months wages.
CLB:
How much?
Worker:
Five tons of the stuff.
CLB:
How much back pay do they owe you now?
Worker:
Five months three thousand bucks. Everyones in the same boat.
CLB:
Do you think you will get it?
Worker:
No.
CLB:
Whats the next step?
Worker:
Were not sure yet. If they gave us some guarantees, we wouldnt have to make a fuss.
CLB:
You have been working at the company for a long time. What will you do for a living?
Worker:
I dont know. Right now we want the money we are owed, but we cant even get this. Well have to carry on protesting until we are satisfied.