[Broadcast on 5 April, 2003]

On the 12th March, retired workers of the Tieshu Group in Suizhou City, Hubei Province, began to picket their factory gate. Following their protests against corruption and actions demanding their rights, the official Suizhou Daily newspaper issued a series of four editorials on the retired Tieshu Group workers' collective action. A listener in Suizhou recorded the televised broadcasts of these editorials and sent them to China Labour Bulletin. Last Saturday, CLB broadcast Part 1 of the reactions of several Tieshu Group workers to these editorials. Today, CLB would like you to listen to Part 2. First, please listen to part of what the editorials had to say:

“An extremely small number of workers still do not realize that blocking the factory entrance and creating a disturbance, thus so causing an enterprise to stop production, constitutes an illegal act. Anyone who acts in this way, no matter who they are, or whether their subjective aims are good, they cannot avoid punishment according to the law. No reasonable, good and law abiding person wants to see this kind of result. The working class is the most conscious and disciplined advanced representative of society. State owned enterprise workers are the owners of these enterprises. They are still the owners after restructuring. In this key period of reform, enterprise workers should be even more strictly disciplined, promptly restore production, develop the means of production and act realistically to support the restructuring. The only rational choice for the working masses is to increase the value of state assets through restructuring and developing production.”

Do the workers of the Tieshu Group think their actions to fight for their legal rights are legal or not? Here is what one retired worker from the Group had to say:

Retired Worker:

Aiya! Threats. Open threats...threats. He [the police]won't let you go out, says you mustn’t leave home. It’s an open abuse of human rights.

Han Dongfang (Han):

You're not allowed to leave home?

Retired Worker:

Ay! It's an open abuse of human rights.

Han:

Is it people who are more active who aren't allowed out?

Retired Worker:

Exactly. This situation, they suspect you're a ringleader….is wanting your money wrong? According to them, ordinary people wanting their money is creating a disturbance! We've got proof, we want our money and he says we're creating a disturbance.

Han:

What measures are they taking against workers they suspect of taking the lead in this?

Retired Worker:

Threats. This morning, they [the police] went for one person they suspected, said he'd created a disturbance, and took him to the Public Security Bureau [PSB]. In the end, they had no proof and he was sent back home.

Han:

When did this happen?

Retired Worker:

Ten o'clock this morning...about ten o'clock!

Han:

How many people were detained?

Retired Worker:

One.

Han:

Was it a retired worker?

Retired Worker:

Someone who retired early.

Han:

So how long was this person held at the PSB before he was released?

Retired Worker:

He wasn't there for long before they released him. If it had lasted longer, the workers would have all gone to find him. The workers are all prepared. If someone's detained like that, everyone will go to the PSB.

Han:

So, the workers aren't actually afraid?

Retired Worker:

Not at all! Because we're in the right. They owe us money and we want it. That's not creating a disturbance!

Han:

That's reasonable and legal, isn’t it?

Retired Worker:

Exactly!

Han:

Do you think in the future the PSB will really arrest some of the workers?

Retired Worker:

I wouldn't like to say. Anyway, he's always there now, telling the police to "arrest them, arrest them!" Constantly shouting "arrest them!" Whether they really will or not, I couldn't say.

Han:

If they really do arrest someone, how will the workers react?

Retired Worker:

They'll fight against him!

Han:

So his problems would be even worse.…

Retired Worker:

Yes...that's right. The workers have already prepared themselves. That's how it is! It's all true.

Now let's listen to some more from the Suizhou Daily's editorials:

"In the correct handling of the relationship between the interests of the part and the interests of the whole, a thorough-going restructuring of state owned enterprises is bound to encounter the problem of adjusting workers' benefits. Why do workers at some bankrupt state owned enterprises not understand their enterprises’ need to cut internally regulated benefits? Why do they resort to improper actions such as blocking railways and factory gates? Why is it that internal benefits for workers of bankrupt enterprises cannot continue? First, this is a country ruled according to law. Whatever the demands of the working masses, they can only be carried out if they conform to national policy regulations. Second, national regulations clearly stipulate that the self-formulated internal benefits provided by an enterprise must be decided according to the benefit situation of the enterprise and paid by that enterprise. Third, the extremely limited social security funds are paid for by enterprises and their workers. If every enterprise receives special treatment and fights for a better deal than everyone else, this will cause even greater problems and will affect the basic interests and retirement insurance of even more retired workers.”

An important indicator of a country that is ruled according to law is whether or not the government can be effectively restrained by the law. If there is no widespread participation by the people in formulating laws and regulations, and the government then uses these laws and regulations to punish the people, this kind of system is nothing like the rule of law.

Retired worker:

The leader of our factory has openly said, “I’ve got people who can help me legally and illegally”.

Han:

That's Wu Xiaoli?

Retired worker

Right!

Han:

What was the situation when she said that?

Retired worker:

She said it openly in a general meeting.

Han:

When was that?

Retired worker:

About a month...a month or so ago...Those people are incredibly arrogant. She's got money and power. She casually says, "There's nothing I'm afraid to do. Nothing scares me! I’ve got people who can help me legally and illegally”.

Han:

She said legally and illegally?

Retired worker:

That's right!

Han:

She's not afraid of anything?

Retired worker:

Nothing!

Han:

So what do the workers think of this?

Retired worker:

They're very unhappy with her now.

Han:

Things are really getting out of control.…

Retired worker:

You're right...because she's got patrons everywhere in the city! Everywhere. Honestly, we haven't done anything illegal. Please, if you really care, help us to get our situation into the media as much as possible… Let people know about it as much as possible…. Ah! It's too complicated for us and corrupt officials are so ruthless! We haven't got any hope in the provinces. We can only report it to mid-ranking officials.

Here is more from the Suizhou Daily's editorials:

"During the socialist reform and construction of the past, state owned enterprise workers have contributed to industrial development. Now, at this key moment of restructuring of state owned enterprises, workers in these enterprises must continue to consider the whole, and remember the general interest; that they will temporarily abandon and sacrifice the immediate interests of the individual and the interests of the part in order to protect the interests of the great majority and the interests of the whole. Industry and the government will certainly compensate state owned enterprise workers in every possible way for this sacrifice.”

Do the workers of the Tieshu Group really not care about the interests of the whole? Let's listen to what one retired worker has to say about her own experience:

Retired worker:

Before, if someone retired early, they'd get nearly 500 Yuan a month...now, it's only 236 Yuan. I've been retired for five years. Originally, I got just over 600 Yuan; now I get just over 500. Now, we only have this amount of money and we have more money deducted for just about everything. Really...once we had a certain amount of benefits. Now we get money deducted for everything and have to pay for everything. From health fees, water and electricity bills, television fees...we have to pay for everything. We've got no medical insurance at all now.

Han:

Didn't the Suizhou Daily's editorials say that part of the money from the sale of bankrupt industries was to be used for medical insurance?

Retired worker:

That's just a lie! When people like me who've been retired for a few years go to the doctor we have to pay for everything.

Han:

Everything?

Retired worker:

We're scared of getting sick now. If you get sick, you just wait to die. That's not all. After the enterprise went bankrupt, they told us all to buy shares - forced us to buy them. Almost every worker's family had to buy a few thousand Yuan worth of shares. Like two workers in my family who bought at least five thousand’s worth.… At that time, you couldn't refuse! If you didn't buy, you had your bonus docked, your salary docked. We were all working then, weren't we?

Han:

What year was that?

Retired worker:

That would have been around 1994 or 1993.

So what about the promise that enterprises and the government will use all possible means to compensate workers for the sacrifices they have made in the interests of the whole? What do workers think about these promises? Here's what one person in Suizhou, who knows the situation, has to say:

Knowledgeable local:

Mr. Han...because they say this...the government can't change their position. It's a trick. What I mean is that they (the government) have turned this comment on the workers' intentions upside down. It’s as if they’re against reform…taking everything from the workers. What they say their aim is, what their banners say is "Combat corruption, grasp the parasites". But the problem has got so bad, it includes city leaders, provincial leaders, other leaders...and because of that, they say they just can't open the lid on this thing.

According to this person who knows the situation, workers already have a plan on how to lift the lid on the corruption in the Tieshu Group and Suizhou City:

Knowledgeable local:

The workers wrote all the things that had happened up to that point. They gave it to this person they knew, who sent it through secret channels up to Beijing. I don’t know if that will solve the problem. They put all the factory’s problems into a document which the workers all signed, asking for an investigation. The document has already been passed up to Beijing. I don’t know if it’s got there or not. This is all very secret…

Do the people trust the government? Do they have confidence on the government’s ability to make decisions on this? Are the people able to make these decisions? What are the implications for trust if the high ranking ruling officials leave the party because they do not trust in it [and decisions]? Please listen to the following conversation I had with the party secretary of a state owned enterprise in Suizhou:

Party Secretary:

Our family’s retired. My father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Han:

Both of them are from the Tieshu Group?

Party Secretary:

Yes! My father-in-law worked for 51 years. Now he gets four hundred Yuan to get him through the holidays [or he gets 400 Yuan bonus only on holidays – meaning unclear]

Han:

That’s more than 500 less than before, right?

Party Secretary:

Ah! That’s right!

Han:

So what was this money deducted for?

Party Secretary:

They took the money out of wages in case people didn’t take care of it properly for when they retired…you’re supposed to get a pension, right? It was cut off. It should have been paid, but it wasn’t. The factory can’t pay it because they’ve used it, embezzled it. They bought cotton before, produced…

Han:

So has the picket at the factory gate by retired workers over the last few days had any effect?

Party Secretary:

The effect is the retired workers’ shares. If someone gets sick and can’t pay the hospital bill, then they get their money. But it was their money in the first place, wasn’t it? They keep working without retiring, but the money can’t be paid. The factory hasn’t got any money to pay them with.

Han:

If you’re retired, you can only get your money if you have particular difficulties?

Party Secretary:

That’s right.

Han:

How you prove you have special difficulties?

Party Secretary:

The certificate that says you’ve been in hospital. This…this…it’s their money! The Communist Party’s policies are good! A 35 year old government functionary can get 1,600 Yuan a month, but someone who worked for 51 years gets three or four hundred. That’s not even a quarter of the money! He’s got to get medical treatment and he’s got to eat too…don’t you think this old man’s angry? All this corruption. What can you call this problem? Isn’t it a problem with the political system – not showing its true face. Now you’ve got officials drinking spirits as soon as they come down…now there are more government officials than there are ordinary people…The work unit hasn’t got any money, people haven’t got any money. Now this old man who’s over 70; his children are involved, his friends are involved, everyone’s dragged into it. Why? He hasn’t got the money for medicine. Do you think he supports the Communist Party? I’m a party member, a branch secretary. And now I say seek truth from facts. I don’t go wining and dining. I don’t go to restaurants. As long as ordinary people aren’t against me, that’s enough.

Han:

With a new government being formed now, do you think everyone will have more trust in it?

Party Secretary:

More trust? If you don’t speak for the people, act for the people, what is the new government about? Workers want their basic needs met. Never mind rushing towards a “well-off society”…