(Broadcast on 6 April 2002)
On 5 April, at Qing Ming Festival (a time for Chinese people to pay tribute to their ancestors and visit the graves), the Daqing retrenched workers who have already been demonstrating on the Tieren (Iron Man) square for 35 days, originally planned to commemorate the festival by three simultaneous actions. A ten-thousand-people commemoration gathering were going to be held at the Iron Man square; ten thousand people were going to sign a petition and ten thousand people were going to collectively resign from the Party. But at Qing Ming there was a huge rainstorm and the government also took a series of emergency pre-emptive measures; so the Three Actions of 10,000 People" plan was called off. A retrenched oilfield worker explains what happened on the square.
Worker:
Last week I went there, but this time my leg hurt and I didnt go.
Han Dongfang:
Are there still many people?
Worker:
There are over ten thousand a day.
Han:
Are there over ten thousand people every day?
Worker:
When fewer people attend, there are over ten thousand. Where many attend, there are over thirty thousand.
Han:
Is it like this every day?
Worker:
Yes, when many people come, their number can reach thirty thousand. Its because they live in different places, those who live far dont always attend. Those who live closer always attend; those who live far may not.
Han:
Do you live nearby?
Worker:
Yes, not far.
Han:
Everybody was saying that at Qing Ming Festival, on 5 April, they would lay a wreath at the Iron Man. They didnt do that, did they?
Worker:
Maybe they did, but I didnt go today. Everybody was saying earlier that they would lay a wreath to commemorate the Iron Mans spirit. I didnt go today, so I am not sure if it happened or not.
He continued to explain that the Petroleum Administration Bureau (PAB) had taken some measures against those who are still employed. I asked him if he knew about the arrests and he said:
Worker:
Ive heard that they had arrested some people, but we didnt see anything. When I went there at the beginning, some people printed and distributed material that explained why (we were demonstrating) and what our demands were. At the beginning some people distributed (these notes), but lately there has been no one distributing anything. A lot of these were done by individual effort. But the PAB and the government wanted to suppress them, they didnt let these people attend. They called me today and said, "you have children who are working there [at PAB]. If their parents were among the retrenched, they (the working off springs) would be under scrutiny and required to write a guarantee. If it's found out that their parents went to the square, they would be laid off". Someone also called me today that the drilling, testing, and supply departments all had meetings and they [workers] all had to sign some sort of similar guarantees. Thats the method they use. (The government) uses this method to intimidate people and prevent people from participating. This action has been called off quietly and behind the scene. This information is absolutely reliable.
Han:
So now as you already know this news, will you still attend tomorrow if the weather clears up?
Worker:
I will attend.
Han:
Are you not afraid?
Worker:
I am not. This affects our own well-being. We worked for twenty or thirty years, what is the way out for the future? They give us this tiny bit of money; we are not spending recklessly, but its not even enough for the every-day consumption. It affects our own well-being, how can we stop looking (for a way out)?
Another family member of a retrenched worker told me that there was no one on the square today.
Relative:
There is no one. All activities have stopped today.
Han:
Why is that?
Relative:
The weather is bad; it is raining. It is very quiet today.
Han:
Did it not rain yesterday?
Relative:
No, it didnt.
Han:
Were there people yesterday, the day before yesterday?
Relative:
Yes, there were.
A grass-root level neighbourhood committee member said that the neighbourhood committee gathered all the retrenched workers today to play mahjong and have fun, to prevent them from going to the Ten-Thousand Peoples Campaign
Committee member:
In the previous few days they attended but the past few days, after we persuaded them, no one attended.
Han:
No one went today?
Committee:
Thats right, nobody went.
Han:
They said they would present a wreath to Wang Jinxi, the Iron Man, today. Did it happen?
Committee:
None went, none from our neighbourhood. We are all here, having fun.
A government official said they have been trying to persuade the retrenched workers yesterday all night not to join the Ten-Thousand People Resign From The Party Campaign
Official:
The three planned actions are: 10,000 Signature Campaign, 10,000 Sweep the Graves and Wear White Flower Badge Campaign and 10,000 Resign From The Party Campaign. Our leaders held a meeting yesterday and asked us to persuade these retrenched workers from these actions. We only learned about this yesterday, after it was approved at the meeting.
Han:
Did they actually do it (the Actions) then?
Official:
Tell me, could they have achieved it? Could they have done it? No way, they didnt! Our persuasion was effective and to the point. We visited them and talked to each of them each in their homes.
Han:
Were Party members specifically targeted?
Official:
Yes, all of them. We did several days of work.
Han:
Telling them not to resign from the Party?
Official:
Exactly. We were working overtime nightly. Contacting Party members, have meetings with them, and paying home visits to everyone.
The retrenched oil worker who talked to me at the beginning of this interview put forward a plan, which he thinks is reasonable & workable:
Worker:
This group of workers have these points. First, lets say we all worked 30, 35 even 36 years. We really suffered at the time, but we survived that. At the time of retrenchment, we got confused, but after the retrenchment we changed our minds. Those fellow workers who were not retrenched, are getting 2,000 or 3,000 yuan after retirement, while we didnt get even 1,000 yuan at the time of retrenchment. As for the pension fund, if the retrenched and employed both contributed the same amount, and both those who retired and retrenched received the same amount, then nobody would complain. But now, nobody is proposing this answer.
Han:
Lets say if, theyll let you return the money you got when you were retrenched and let you do an early retirement, would you do it?
Worker:
That wed do.
Han:
Have a lot of people spent that money already?
Worker:
Not many, in my estimate. Why is it so? Its because this money is for keeping the family alive, how can they just spend it so quickly? What would they live on afterwards?
Han:
Some may have speculated in stocks
Worker:
Cant say its not possible, but those are one in thousands.
Han:
Most can return the money?
Worker:
Yes, most of them.
Han:
How many people do you think would accept, if this policy could be implemented for people to return the money in return for early retirement?
Worker:
99%, at least.
Han:
Such a big proportion?
Worker:
Of course.