China Labour Bulletin has received reports that over 1,000 workers have been staging a strike since 13 March, 2002 in a textile factory in the mid-western province of Sichuan. The workers in the Guangyuan Textile Factory, which is on the verge of bankruptcy, demanded that factory management negotiate over the terms of their retrenchment. Eyewitnesses reported that several strikers were beaten up by the police at the picket line outside the factory, and about a dozen had been detained.
In an interview with CLB conducted on 18 March, an official of the Guangyuan City Trade Union confirmed that the strike did take place. He said they had tried to persuade the workers return to work and the union had yet to decide on the next course of action.
In another report published in Apple Daily (18 March), over 20,000 workers have staged demonstrations in the same Guangyuan city. Amidst mass workers' protests reported in several other big industrial cities, the protesters surrounded the government headquarters, blocked traffic, and demanded a solution from the government on the problem of retrenchment.
An official of the city government confirmed that the demonstrations took place but denied the protest was as large as reported.
(Sources: Apple Daily, China Labour Bulletin.)
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Online: 2002-03-20
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