Schoolteachers in Suizhou urge the Government to fulfill its promises – teacher’s representatives face restrictions on movement.

From 4 November to 7 November, more than 1,300 community schoolteachers [Note 1] protested at the front of the City Government offices asking that the government fulfill its promise, made during 1996 to 2000, to transfer them into public school teaching posts. At the same time they also demanded the government solve the ongoing issue of missing or low pensions for laid-off community schoolteachers. On 6 November the number of protesters had reached 2,000. On 7 November, there were still about 100 people gathering daily at the entrance to the government offices. An official from the town of Yindian, in Zhendou District told us the town Government sent officials and vehicles to the demonstration to forcibly remove the protesting teachers.

Town Government:

We have been there several times…we go every day. Some (schoolteachers) leave the demonstration, but return again as they haven’t got what the government had promised them.

Han Dongfang (Han):

Are they at home today?

Town Government:

Today… they’ve gone. Tens of them. Young teachers. Those who are found in the town stay there. Most teachers are there [at the protests] now.

Han:

Do you go there every day to take them back?

Town Government:

Right. Some are unwilling to come back with us. Some go there again after coming back. It seems that they won’t go home unless we get what they want. I went to Suizhou yesterday, and saw one to two thousand people joining the sit-in. Some even brought along their quilts. They sleep and eat there.

Han:

Whereabouts at the government office are they staying?

Town Government:

In the courtyard. The crux of the matter is that they are raising two demands: First, several years ago the City Government of Suizhou promised that 3,000 community schoolteachers in the city could transfer to public school teaching posts. However, the promise hasn’t been fulfilled. Secondly, they want the Government to tackle the problem of pensions. Now many of the teachers are in their fifties. Even if they look for other jobs, no company will employ them. They will therefore encounter hardship in their retirement. These are the main two issues.

Han:

Are their demands reasonable?

Town Government:

Basically their demands are reasonable.

A teacher taking part in the action said that on 4 and 5 November, around 600 teachers brought food and quilts and gathered in the government courtyard, remaining there for two nights.

Teacher:

They [the government] have behaved in an unyielding and barbaric way. They even tore apart our placards - we’d written quotations from Hu Jintao [the Chinese President] on it.

Han:

They tore apart your placards with quotations from Hu Jintao?

Teacher:

Yes! They did!

Han:

What did you write on the boards?

Teacher:

The words of Hu Jintao that “Repeated complaints should be entertained”.

Han:

Something related to “repeated complaints”?

Teacher:

Right! Using his words.

Han:

You also carried a banner, right?

Teachers:

The banner says: “No matter how adverse the circumstances are - education should not be sacrificed; community schoolteachers should not be sacrificed.”

Han:

Education should not be sacrificed? Community schoolteachers should not be sacrificed?

Teachers:

That’s right. They [officials] went there… at night, when people slept in the courtyard, they took away our quilts. Some female teachers slept in the corridor of the Government Building. Their quilts were also thrown away.

Han:

On which days did you sleep there?

Teacher:

The day before yesterday and yesterday. Two days.

Han:

That would be 4 and 5 November, right?

Teacher:

Exactly.

Han:

How many people were there?

Teacher:

More than 1,300. Nearly 600 of them slept out there. They brought along their quilts and slept there.

Han:

Is this action still continuing?

Teacher:

Now people are still there…nearly 500 to 600 people. Police officers and officials from the village use force to try to drag them away. They even threatened to arrest protesters.

This teacher then described how local government officials took teachers away by force on 5 November. He also told us that teacher’s representatives have been placed under temporary custody in order to prevent them from participating in the protests by local government officials [both from the village and town government].

Teacher:

Last Night.

Han:

The night of 5 November?

Teacher:

Right! The City Government instructed the Public Security Bureau to send 30 to 40 officers. The local leaders, chiefs of villages and party secretaries from each village sent in more than 10 people with vehicles. They dragged them into the vehicles. In this way, they keep the teachers away from the protest.

Han:

They’re now isolating the teachers?

Teacher:

Right.

Teacher:

They are keeping the teachers apart; one teacher for each village or town. It is reported that the government will arrest those who organize the protest. Now the teachers are kept apart, and each town is responsible to keep them in custody.

Han:

Now they are all kept in custody?

Teacher:

Right: It is the responsibility of the village or town head to do this.

An official from the Office of Suizhou City Government told us that most of the teachers who fail to get a teaching post in public schools because they violate the family planning scheme.

City Government:

It’s because they are not qualified for the transfer [to the government schools]. Most of them violate the family planning scheme.

Han:

Because they have more children than stipulated?

City Government:

Right!

Han:

They can’t get public school teaching posts simply because they give birth to more than one child?

City Government:

This is according to previous family planning regulations in Hubei Province. This kind of teachers [community] have at least 3 kids, some even have four children.

Han:

Just for the sake of these extra children?

City Government:

That…It’s probably…mainly… because of this.

Another official interviewed from the Complaints Bureau of the Suizhou City Government said that it was difficult to meet both of the teacher’s demands:

Complaints Bureau:

Those community schoolteachers have two demands. Firstly to get transfers to government schools and secondly to increase their pensions in order to improve their standard of living – up to 350 Yuan. We have great difficulty in dealing with these two issues. Why? In our district of Zengdou, there are more than 2,800 teachers, or nearly 2,900 teachers who can’t transfer to government school teaching posts. They have worked for tens of years. Right now it is unlikely we can arrange their transfer. The provincial government has a record on this issue. Secondly, they demand an increase in their pensions to improve their living standards. They are asking for 350 Yuan. Asking for 350 Yuan – what’s the rationale behind this? In any event, the district government can’t bear such a financial burden.

Han:

How much pension do they get a month now?

Complaints Bureau:

It depends: Some get 100 Yuan. Some get around 140 Yuan. Some get more than 180 Yuan. Yes, it’s not very substantial.

This official from the Complaints Bureau further pointed out that the government has started negotiations with the teachers’ representatives. However, since it is an inherited problem nationwide, the City Government is powerless to resolve it:

Complaints Bureau:

Well, Most of them [protestors] have gone away. Only a small number of people are still here. Maybe not as many as a hundred. Today, there were less than 50 people. Last night they all left. Today only a small number of teachers are coming from several villages. Probably around 100.

Han:

About a hundred people?

Complaints Bureau:

Right. And they are very orderly. Comparatively speaking, the community schoolteachers are well-behaved. They’re usually well-behaved.

Han:

Oh!

Complaints Bureau:

They’ve chosen their representatives and we are talking to them.

Han:

How did they choose their representatives?

Complaints Bureau:

The representatives are chosen by recommendation. Yesterday every town and village recommended a representative for the negotiations. There are 35 towns and villages. Each town and village recommended one. Today, there were fewer representatives. Many of them have gone back to their towns and villages. No one comes here….there were only few people coming from towns and villages nearby. Now they are demanding transfer to government school teaching posts. This issue is not an individual case in Suizhou and this problem isn’t only occurring in Hubei province. It’s a nationwide problem. It is an inherited problem – a problem inherited from the past.

Han:

Previously were there arrears in the payment of retirement insurance [a form of pension]?

Complaints Bureau:

We don’t call it retirement insurance. We call it severance allowance.

Han:

According to the labour regulation, isn’t it true that the employer should pay for the employee’s retirement insurance?

Complaints Bureau:

That’s true. But in some case the lowest levels of the government are in difficulty. In other cases the enterprise doesn’t pay for it, because they don’t have money

Han:

It is the case that they haven’t paid the insurance, right?

Complaints Bureau:

Right.

Han:

But it is a violation of law not to pay it?

Complaints Bureau:

Yes, definitely they violated the law. The violation… yet some enterprises don’t have… for example, some enterprises have gone bankrupt. No money left.

Han:

But the enterprise’s difficulty is related to its management. Yet the teachers’ salaries and pensions should be given by the government, and the government doesn’t go bankrupt, right?

Complaints Bureau:

Right.

Han:

Then the government should be responsible for…

Complaints Bureau:

We do have the responsibility. That’s why they come to the government to petition.

Han:

Is it true that the retirement insurance should also be repaid?

Complaints Bureau:

They haven’t brought up this issue.

Han:

Haven’t brought it up?

Complaints Bureau:

During my participation in the negotiation, I haven’t heard of this issue.

Note 1: There are several categories of teachers in the Chinese educational system. Teachers employed at locally run or lower level schools (such as primary schools or township schools) are called “minban” [literally civil teachers]. They have generally undergone some form of teacher training but have only taken lower level teaching certification. Other teachers working in city schools or higher levels schools, such as secondary schools, are called “gongban” [literally public teachers]. In general these teachers have had higher training and have taken higher level certificates of teaching. These schools are generally better equipped and with more facilities. In addition, ‘gongban” teachers are seen as full government employees and have higher wages, more job security and full pension rights. There has been a national drive to enable ‘mingban’ teachers to undergo training and take the certificates which would enable them to become ‘gongban’ teachers. However, in practice the majority of “mingban” teachers have not been transferred. In some areas, former ‘gongban’ teachers have been dismissed and re-employed as ‘mingban’ with reductions in wages, security and pension rights.