[Broadcast 29 April 2006]

Recently I received a report of a case where the government of Qingcheng County in Leshan city, Sichuan, going right back to September 1994, has failed to pay a substantial part of the county's 2400 teachers a price inflation subsidy and welfare allowance. In these 11 years, each teacher has lost out on something like 10,000 yuan, or a combined total of 24 million yuan. Today and for the next few weeks, I'm going to broadcast my conversation with retired special grade teacher Sun Xiangying (transliteration.) Today you can hear the first part:

Teacher: Going right back to the time of the salary reforms, we here have never received what we were entitled to.

Han Dong Fang: From which year?

Teacher: From 1994.  In 1993 there was a nationwide salaries reform, and the State Council promulgated Document 79, dealing with the issue.

Han: Did it specifically deal with reform of teachers' salaries?

Teacher: It dealt with salary reform on a comprehensive national basis. The State Council Document 79 mentioned the subsidies issue, and said that we needed to maintain reasonable subsidies, and eliminate unreasonable subsidies.  Our [teachers'] subsidies were among the ones that were to be kept. Sichuan provincial government then promulgated the corresponding Document Number 34, promoting salary reform. Document 34 talked about retired teachers and said that four benefits needed to be maintained.

Han: What four benefits?

Teacher: The first was national welfare assistance, the second was transport and heating allowance; the third was that citizens over 70 who had retired on full pay should get an extra month's salary, in addition to living expenses.

Han: That's to say, every year issue an extra one to two months salary?

Teacher:  Yes. The fourth benefit was that disabled people would get a one time payment, which would also be after retirement. With regard to teachers, we consistently received the transport and heating allowance, and retirees got their 1-2 months extra salary. We also received the fourth benefit, disabled allowance, without interruption. However, it was the first benefit, national welfare assistance that teachers didn't receive.

Han: With regard to this payment, how much are we talking about for each teacher?

Teacher: Accumulated until now, it's already about 10,000 yuan.

Han: So how much should there be every month for each person?

Teacher: 116 yuan for each person, and a 30 yuan vegetable allowance; that's according to a regulation in 1993 -  because the cost of living started to increase, the country set up a vegetable allowance. Then the salary reform also brought an entitlement of 86 yuan welfare allowance; so if you add the two together that's 116 yuan.

Han: This is at 1994 levels?

Teacher: From 1994 right through to now.

Han: 86 yuan plus 30 yuan; that's 1994 levels?

Teacher: Right, 1994 levels, but actually it's still 116 yuan, that's still the standard.

Han: So starting from 1994, none of the teachers here have handed out anything .

Teacher: It 's the administration that issues the money.

Han: By 'administration' you mean civil servants?

Teacher: Civil servants, yes state institutions. We don't know anything about the finance of the county government, we're only able to collect the budget of Leshan City government, the amount of money that they allocate to city level employees.  We don't see anything of the county government, to us they are invisible.

Han: From 1994 until now, how many teachers have been entitled to these two benefits?

Teacher: All the teachers in the county, working and retired. If you add them together, around 2439, of whom 912 are retired.  It affects that many.

Han: You yourself are a retiree, right?

Teacher: Yes, I'm retired.

Han: Which year did you retire?

Teacher: 1995, I'm already 70 something.

Han: What did you teach originally?

Teacher: Originally I was a maths teacher at a secondary school.

Han:  In all these years, from 1994 to today, with so many teachers missing out on receiving their payments, have you ever approached anyone to try and do something about it? 

Teacher: We've all been trying ceaselessly.

Han: What approaches have you taken?

Teacher: We've reported it to the National People's Congress, and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee (CPPCC).

Han: Did you write letters, or petition?

Teacher: We petitioned, and we wrote a letter to the NPC, and we've written letters to every department.

Han: Did each of the teachers write independently, or did you send a collective letter?

Teacher: We went through our NPC representative, and through a CPPCC member, because there are NCP representatives and CPPCC members among the teachers.

Han: County NPC representatives?

Teacher: County NPC representatives and county CPPCC members constantly report the issue, but it's never resolved.

Han: Who do they take this up with?

Teacher: They report to Qingcheng county government, but there's never any solution.

Han: Have you ever reported this to a higher level?

Teacher: Last year in October, we reported to a higher authority.

Han: Which one?

Teacher: We reported to Leshan City government, and also to Sichuan provincial government.

Han: Was it your NPC representatives and CPPCC members who again reported this on your behalf?

Teacher: The NPC members and CPPCC members were involved, but the most important thing was that the retired teachers took part, because teachers who are still working could be investigated, even receive threats.

Han: Have you ever been threatened?

Teacher: Yes, the Education Department threatens the school headmaster, and the headmaster threatens the teachers.

Han: How do they threaten?

Teacher: He tells us not to take part, to drop the idea. Taking part would affect work, we could be dismissed, lots of measures could be taken.

Han: So not just losing your job, but there could also be other methods of reprisal?

Teacher: They've got lots of methods; teachers in the countryside have complained about that for many times and we discuss the practical issues.

Han: So from 1994, you've been constantly trying to get justice?

Teacher: Constantly.

Han: Is it always the retired teachers who take the lead in dealing with this?

Teacher: There are working teachers as well, but they just sign their names, and contribute a little money to travel expenses, voluntarily.  They are just afraid that we retired teachers won't get this done. Recently some teachers have said: "If you don't have any money, let's all put our money together so you can petition to Beijing to meet someone at a higher level."

Han: So currently the working teachers still really hope that you retired teachers will continue to try to do something about this issue?

Teacher: Yes, because they don't dare to show their faces.

Next Tuesday evening at the same time, please continue listening to my conversation with Qingcheng County retired teacher Sun Xiangying.