More than 3,000 retired and laid-off cadres and workers of several former state-owned enterprises staged a demonstration outside the city government building in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, against unfair retirement and layoff arrangement as a result of privatization of the state-owned enterprises.

The demonstrators, retired cadres and workers of Hangzhou Iron and Steel Company Group and several other state-owned factories in Banshan industrial zone, gathered in front of the city government building on 4 December, blocking the traffic in Hangzhou city for more than three hours. There was no confrontation between the protestors and police.

The protestors were discontent about the way the authorities handled the restructuring of the state-owned enterprises and complained that their rights were ignored in the process, leaving them in financial turmoil. They demanded that the local government should bring them justice and solve the problem immediately.

They did not chant any slogans and did not hold any banners. They only gathered outside the city government building quietly. The city government did not respond to the protestors' demand, but it sent several hundred unarmed cadet police officers to watch the protestors. The crowd later dispersed peacefully, but the protestors said they would continue to stage another protest outside the city government building.

Sources: Mingpao (5 December 2006), Radio Free Asia (4 December 2006), Epoch Times (5 December 2006)

5 December 2006