According to reports, three workers were forcibly removed by police during a strike at a textile plant in Ninghai county, Zhejiang province.
The three workers, two men in their 40s and a woman, were apprehended during a demonstration by several hundred workers who were picketing the plant in the second week of their strike against low pay at the textile plant.
According to a report, one witness reported that "We'd been waiting for a week for the management to respond to our demands
instead, about 100 police officers arrived by car and grabbed three of the workers."
The witness also alleged that the police used violence to smash the participants cameras
The whereabouts of the three workers are unknown and the workers were continuing their protests in front of the local county government offices. It is believed that the authorities have already classified the protests as illegal.
Many hundreds of labour activists and others have been detained by police during the escalating number of labour related protests that have been occurring throughout China in recent years. Scores of them remain in detention.
China Labour Bulletin has been monitoring other protests in Zhejiang province, including the February 2003 strike of approximately 400 workers at the Luyuan Timber Company Ltd in Shuichang county, Zhejiang province. In a conversation with some of the workers involved, China Labour Bulletin learnt that the workers were protesting against the loss of their shares in the company and alleged corruption in the company. For more details.