[Broadcast on
On 4 and 5 July, some 200 retrenched workers from the Inner Mongolia North Heavy Industries Group Ltd (NORHEINCO), which was previously known as Inner Mongolia Number Two Machinery Factory, staged a sit-in outside the factory gate. The workers demanded that the factory management talk with them, especially concerning the deceiving procedure the workers had encountered during the process of retrenchment. The police stationed in the factory had a clash with workers and three workers were injured. CLB talked to an injured worker’s wife about what she witnessed:
An injured worker’s wife:
[He] was stepped; I can’t recall how many times, bruises everywhere [over his body]. A guy from the police station grabbed one person, who is called Li Mon, we all know him [Li Mon]. He was stepped too. He fell and when he stood up, the police kicked his stomach. He fell again and the police grabbed his legs, tried to grab him into the factory. They [the police] attempted to kick on his head. There was a granny, who tried to protect him, but the police pushed her onto the ground. She now suffers injuries on her legs, thigh bone and back, though not very serious. Huang’s, another worker, injury was much more severe. His bone was broken and the bone in his waist was fractured. He was vomiting, feeling dizzy and had difficulty to breathe. It just happened about 40 minutes ago. His situation is much worse than the other two.
Han Dongfang [Han]:
Was he assaulted too?
An injured worker’s wife:
Yes.
Han:
How was he assaulted? Did you witness that?
An injured worker’s wife:
How he got attacked? I think you better ask him… it was very confusing, as a lot of people were there. There were more than 200, up to 300 workers and 50 or 60 police. I couldn’t possibly see what happened to each worker. You can interview him [Huang], he stays now at Ward Number Three of the Department of Orthopedics. I can check which room he is staying in. The No.2 Machinery Factory paid some medical fee. Duan Wenshui and Li Shuqin, each got 500 Yuan to pay for the medicine. [The factory management left] without any proper explanation [of causing the injuries].
She further told CLB that after the factory had tricked and forced its former workers to accept the retrenchment, it then recruited new workers from neighbouring villages and in the local community. In fact, during the last year, workers have been demanding talk with the factory management concerning its violation of the retrenchment policy.
An injured worker’s wife:
In total, some 2,100 workers, after being schemed, cheated and forced to accept the retrenchment. [The factory] didn’t follow the state policy. We have read that policy and the report from the People’s Daily, they all said that no retrenchment was allowed in state-owned enterprises since 1999, especial that the No.2 Machinery Factory was a state-owned weapons factory. We just want justice. The factory’s assets used to be valued at 240 million [Yuan] and it has been going up to 2.4 billion and towards 3 to 5 billion. And look at us! We, the retrenched workers lead such a miserable life and they just don’t care. Now, the factory recruits migrant workers [from rural area] and also locals. We have been protesting, demanding to talk to the [factory] leaders. It has been more than a year now. For such a long time, whenever we come to the factory, they just shut us out. Some old workers protested there, shouting slogans, saying that we wanted to meet with Yu Minhe. At last, the door opened. When the old ladies wanted to go in, those people [police] pushed them out, and then things went beyond control. An old lady, in her 60s, said, “You better wait and see. I won’t give up.” People shoved at each other, some were falling and some kicking, it was like that.
A nurse from the Department of Orthopedics, No. 1 Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical School told CLB that an injured female worker could not get up by herself. During the interview, a doctor “reminded” the nurse not to explain to the CLB the cause of the injury.
Nurse:
One person. She has to stay in bed, she can’t move. She can’t take the phone call.
Han:
How is she now?
Nurse:
She has just arrived; I have to ask the doctor. He is examining her. Nobody accompanies this person and the doctor is very busy. Nobody is in charge of here now. She can’t move, nor walk. The problem is she has nobody to be with her.
Han:
Is her injury serious?
Nurse:
Where?
Doctor interrupted:
Waist and head.
Nurse:
[She has injuries at] waist and head.
Han:
What kind of injuries do you see?
Nurse:
Trauma.
Han:
Trauma?
Nurse:
Right.
Han:
From the clashes [with the police]?
Nurse:
Right, from fighting or something of that kind. I don’t really know about that. The doctor is examining her condition.
Doctor interrupted:
[To the nurse] you shouldn’t talk about that.
The chief of the emergency room at the
Chief of the Emergency Room:
When we arrived, the No. 1 Affiliated Hospital [of
Han:
Did you send your staff around?
Chief of the Emergency Room:
When we got there, the workers refused to let our doctors and nurses [from the factory-owned hospital] examine them. They just waited there. Then they said they only wanted to go to the
Han:
How old are they?
Chief of the Emergency Room:
Around 50 or older.
Han:
How many people were there?
Chief of the Emergency Room:
Several hundred.
An official trade union leader at NORHEINCO admitted that the trade union has not provided the workers with any feasible suggestions. He said the union tried to reach the workers’ leaders but it could not reach any of them so far.
Trade Union leader:
I went for a meeting this morning, so I didn’t know what happened [about the clash between the workers and the police].
Han:
Don’t you know that workers have gathered outside the factory for days and demanded for the overdue unpaid wages back?
Trade Union leader:
Give back… their exact demands are being handled by the seventh floor [another office]. We only meet after they [the staff on the seventh floor] have finished calculating [the unpaid wages]. The trade union wouldn’t handle them [the workers] directly, as they are all retrenched.
Han:
Isn’t it a case about workers’ rights? Why wouldn’t the trade union handle it directly?
Trade Union leader:
No, we jointly handle it with other departments.
Han:
Do the workers have their representatives?
Trade Union leader:
We are looking for their representatives, but they don’t have.
Han:
Are you looking for the representatives?
Trade Union leader:
We wish to handle it according to the official procedure, but they don’t have [any representatives].
Han:
Has the trade union told the workers what the official procedure is?
Trade Union leader:
No, not yet.
A staff member from the sales and marketing department of NORHEINCO told CLB that the factory owed him seven-month’s wages in 1998. But he still could not claim them back after seven years.
NORHEINCO marketing staff:
They owe me wages too. You know what, at that time some departments issued 10-month wages, some 11 months and some only 8.
Han:
How much do they owe you?
NORHEINCO marketing staff:
That year they only paid me for five months, so they owe me seven months.
Han:
So in total, they owe you seven-month’s wages.
NORHEINCO marketing staff:
Right, in total about 3,500 Yuan.
Han:
Did they tell you when you would get it back?
NORHEINCO marketing staff:
At that time, they told me the factory was in a difficult time and it was just considered normal to have wage arrears.
Han:
Which year was it?
NORHEINCO marketing staff:
1998.
Han:
So seven years already. They have owed you that money for so long.
NORHEINCO marketing staff:
Yes.
According to the information released on the Chinese website of NORHEINCO on 1 July, Zeng Qinghong, the vice-president of the People’s Republic of