[Broadcast on 30 September 2005]
At around 9.am on 29 September, some 250 shoe-workers from Zhiye Shoe Factory staged a protest in which they blocked Jiufu Road, in the new village of Zhonglaotan in the Baiyun district of Guangzhou. The workers took the action to protest against heavy fines that the shoe factory had imposed on them, despite paying them very low wages. The local government sent police vehicles and more than a hundred police officers, security guards and anti-riot police to the scene to disperse the workers. The shoe factory employees picked up bricks and stones from the street to counterattack and three police vehicles and two police motorbikes were damaged in the clashes that followed. One policeman and two security guards were injured and six workers were subsequently detained. China Labour Bulletin called the Baiyun district government but the person on duty said that he had not yet received any information about the incident in Zhonglaotan. The following are transcripts of conversations between CLB and local officials:
Baiyun District Government:
I don't know [about the incident], we are in Guangyuan Road. Zhonglaotan [Town] is in Conghua.
Han Dongfang [Han]:
Isn't Zhonglaotan Town in Baiyun district governed by Baiyun district?
Baiyun District Government:
Yes, it is. But it is quite far away. It takes about one hour by car.
Han:
It's a very serious incident. Has the district government got involved?
Baiyun District Government:
I just started my shift at five pm.
Han:
Has the district government taken part in efforts to solve the problem?
Baiyun District Government:
I don't know, no idea, it should be the public security department that is involved, the local branch of PSB should know about it.
Baiyun district's Public Security Bureau told CLB that it was inappropriate for it to comment on the matter:
Baiyun District PSB:
You have to talk to the city PSB about this, we would only comment after we got approval from the city PSB.
Han:
Has the city PSB fixed the problem?
Baiyun District PSB:
We are not in a position to say. I am not able to discuss this with you. You better contact the city PSB, okay?
Han:
Did your branch of the PSB send out police officers?
Baiyun District PSB:
Yes, but you better ask them [the city PSB], alright?
The Guangzhou City PSB admitted that the incident had taken place, but refused to discuss details.
City PSB:
I don't know the full details, but yes, such an incident did take place.
Han:
How was it resolved?
City PSB:
I don't know.
Han:
Were any workers' leaders detained?
City PSB:
I'm not able to answer this. I'm not sure.
A vice-chairperson from Zhonglaotan Town General Trade Union told CLB that police officers had been injured and some vehicles had been damaged.
Town Trade Union:
Three police vehicles and two police motorbikes were damaged and two police officers and one security guard were slightly injured.
Han:
Were any of the workers injured?
Town Trade Union:
I haven't heard of any.
Han:
Did the workers talk to your union before they took this action?
Town Trade Union:
No, nobody came to talk to us. Staff from our union have gone down there.
Mr Chen, the chairperson of the town trade union described the clash to CLB.
Trade Union Chairperson:
We persuaded them to return to the sidewalk. Some people started to throw bricks and that triggered the workers. They started to attack the police and then it started to get a bit messy. Yesterday's clashes started by the entrance to the factory. The police had to stand aside because the workers were throwing stuff onto their vehicles and looting them. The police vehicles got so damaged that they couldn't be used anymore. They [the workers] poured sand into the gas tanks. The police are investigating the case and we have some evidence that a group of people from Hunan were involved, but we still have to figure out where this information came from.
Mr Chen said the clash was caused by the factory imposing heavy fines on the workers, despite paying them only very low wages. Some 20 workers even lost 80 Yuan after working for a whole month without any wages.
Trade Union Chairperson:
It was all very sudden. Most of them are from Hunan province, and their main concern is their wages. They had a lot of money deducted from their pay packets. On top of that, they don't have the protection of a minimum wage. Some 20 workers even received negative wages, which means that they worked more than 20 days and ended up paying the factory 80 Yuan [without receiving any wages]. The deductions for accommodation and food ate into their wages. Most of the employees, except those classed as cadres, only receive between 100 and 200 Yuan at the end of the month. This is the main reason behind the clash.
Mr Chen also revealed that six workers had been detained and that the police planned to detain more. He described his job as a union chairperson as a complicated one.
Trade Union Chairperson:
They [the police] haven't detained those they wanted to detain, because we made a number of videotapes [of the clash]. Plainclothes police and the sub-branch of the PSB got involved yesterday. Our trade union hadn't heard much, we only know that six people were detained.
Han:
Men or women?
Trade Union Chairperson:
Men and women.
Han:
Will the trade union find a lawyer to represent these workers?
Trade Union Chairperson:
We haven't considered that yet. You know what, my status is pretty complicated. I'm the trade union chairperson, but also the vice-secretary of the party committee and in charge of politics and law.
Han:
In what capacity did you go to the scene?
Trade Union Chairperson:
All of them. The politics and law department needs to get involved in this incident, as does the trade union. I'm in charge of the courts, the police and the union as well. So I'm involved in all of these.
Finally, he said that as a result of the industrial action, the government had told the factory owner to repay its workers their overdue wages before 30 September. It also said that the wage-rate must be not lower than Guangzhou City's minimum.
Trade Union Chairperson:
When they [the workers] were outside, we went to the factory and called for a meeting with all the workers and also the labour bureau and other relevant departments. The factory must repay its workers by this afternoon [30 September] and the wages must be not lower than 680 Yuan, as required by Guangzhou City's labour bureau.