[Broadcast on April 8, 2003]
On April 5, a fire broke out in the Qingdao Zhengda (Chia Tai) Company Limited [Zhengda] and took 21 lives in Longquan township, Jimo township level city, in Qingdao in the province of Shandong. A victims husband told CLB yesterday that most victims were from his wifes work unit because when the fire broke out and the workers asked to leave, the work unit supervisor made them to finish their tasks in hand and that delay caused numerous deaths. Today CLB talked to another victims husband, he said his wife usually worked on night shifts, from 6 pm to 7am the next morning, or even longer, until 9 or 10am sometimes.
Victims Husband:
My wife
is still missing!
Han Dongfang [Han]:
What did the factory say?
Victims Husband:
It didnt say anything.
Han:
How about the government [officials]? Hasn't it said anything?
Victims Husband:
The government didnt say much, [officials] tried to comfort me
like asking me to eat more.
Han:
Have you got kids at home?
Victims Husband:
Two, one is 10 years old and one is six years old.
Han:
And are you working?
Victims Husband:
No, I dont have a job, where could I get a job? I used to be a builder.
Han:
A builder?
Victims Husband:
Right, but I cant work anymore. I worked too much that my legs have problem now.
Han:
So your wife is the breadwinner of the family?
Victims Family:
Yes, she has to support the family. Each month
with 600 to 700 bucks [RMB], we have two old people [the parents or parent-in-laws, ed] to support.
Han:
Two old people?
Victims Husband:
Yes, my wife went [to work]
the kids go to school and I have to look after them [the parents or parents-in-laws], you know, the kids are attending school.
Han;
How many hours did your wife work a day?
Victims Husband:
12 to 13 hours. The nightshift starts at 6 pm and finishes at 7 am [the next day], but sometimes it can be till 9am or even 10 am. So 12 or 13 hours, you cant really tell.
Han:
Oh, so sometimes even longer than that?
Victims Husband:
Yes.
Han:
Did your wife complain about her job when she came back so tired?
Victims Husband:
Of course she did. But there is no other way out; we need the money to live.
CLB called the Jimo Hospital to ask after the injured workers. However the officer from the intensive care unit told CLB that only the municipal Party committees propaganda department was allowed to answer questions about the situation of the injured workers.
Hospital Officer:
Oh, we cant answer you at the moment.
Han:
Then when can I call back to ask again?
Hospital Officer:
Hmm
you should call and ask at the municipal Party committees propaganda department, alright?
Han:
But my question doesnt involve any propaganda issues; I just want to know the patients situations.
Hospital Officer:
Yes, but still we can't comment.
Han:
Are their [the injured workers] families here?
Hospital Officer:
[no reply][Phone hung up]
A worker who worked the nightshift in the Zhengda factory described CLB how her co-workers and her escaped from the fire.
Worker:
I was working in the barbeque section [packaging barbequed food]
the first packaging work unit, we couldnt see the fire from our workshop but some said they saw smoke outside.
Han:
Did you leave immediately when you heard about the smoke?
Worker:
The electricity had been out before we left, the lights were simply gone. So the other workers and I came out through the cold storage [area] hand in hand.
Han:
Oh so you left through the cold storage?
Worker:
Yeah.
She then told CLB the she had heard reports from workers escaped from the work unit with most of the fatalities. It is said that the work unit supervisor asked the workers to put the products behind the door and she would go to check the situation before she decided if they could leave. However, the fumes choked her and she fainted when she went out.
Worker:
[The work unit supervisor] heard the workers talking [about the fumes]. She asked them to put the products behind the door; she didnt let them go
not allowed to leave. She probably wanted to have a look outside but the fumes choked her and she fainted. You know when she was rescued; workers [from her work unit] were still working inside.
Han:
You mean the supervisor asked the workers to continue working while she checked the situation outside?
Worker:
Yes. This factory is always like this
very strict.
This worker raised an [important] issue - that the work unit which had fatalities was only one corridor away [from the start of the fire]and there was one pane of glass separating it from the site of fire so it was impossible for them not to see the smoke.
Worker:
The leader
it must be the supervisors fault. People from all other units had escaped so why did their unit have most of the deaths? I heard that their place was the closest to the fire and they should have known about it earlier. Wasnt it that the research and development [R&D] department caught fire in the first place? Their work unit is only a corridor away from the R&D department.
Han:
Oh, they were only one corridor from the [initial] site of the fire?
Worker:
Yes, only one corridor and [a pane of] glass separated them. They should have seen the smoke; they should have known it earlier.
She [the worker] said there were cases in the factory [previously] when workers heard of a fire and left the factory, but later they were fined for leaving their posts without permission.
Han:
You mean it happened before that workers saw that other work units were leaving so they followed?
Worker:
Right, but the fire was later put out.
Han:
That fire was put out?
Worker:
Yes.
Han:
And as nothing happened [i.e. there were no injuries or fatalities], their credits got deducted [in effect deductions were taken from their wages] afterwards?
Worker:
Exactly, like to punish them for leaving their work without permission.
Another worker described to CLB some of the working conditions in the factory.
Worker:
Of course they [Zhengda factory] exploit the workers. They
always give us a full day [tasks] and we have no time to rest, the job is too exhausting! We earn about [RMB] 500 to 600.
Han:
How many workers are in the factory?
Worker:
3 to 4 thousand. Some are locals and some are not.
Han:
Do the non-local workers live in a dormitory?
Worker:
Yes, hmm
[RMB] 100 is charged each month for accommodation.
Han:
What do you do in the factory?
Worker:
I am in Section 2
it is just chopping chicken legs off chickens.
Han:
Chopping chicken legs from chickens?
Worker:
Right.
Han:
And how would you describe your workload?
Worker:
The workflow is simply too fast
must faster than before and we workers cant really catch up.
Han:
Does Zhengda Factory have its own trade union?
Worker:
No.
Han:
How long have you been working there?
Worker:
Nearly 3 years. No
I never heard of any trade union to speak for workers.
According to other sources, the director of Qingdao Zhengda factory's mother company, the Chia Tai Group (Thailand), Xie Guomin, has long been in close contact with the top leadership of the govenrment of China. For instance, the volume 3 of Deng Xiaopings Collected Essays there is included a conversation between Deng and Xies when they met in 1990. The Qingdao Zhengda Factory webpage shows the photographs of the QCTCL bosses shaking hands with Jiang Zemin [the ex-Chinese President], Zhu Rongji [the ex-Chinese Premier] and Li Peng [the ex-Chairman of the Standing Committee of National People's Congress].
On the webpage of the Beiing Dafa Chia Tai Company Limited, there is a paragraph about occupational safety where it is written;
Humans are the most precious beings in the universe. In order to maintain our prevailing businesss stability and efficiency, our staffs safety, health, happiness and the entire human societys satisfaction is the ultimate goal we pursuit.