Labor protests have been accellerating across China. The suppression of labor rights in the country is increasing and is likely to be a large part of the debate on the China deal. -- Nathan =========================================================================
1,500 Auto Workers Protest in China Source: The Associated Press Published: Monday, Dec. 13, 1999
BEIJING –– About 1,500 auto factory workers blocked traffic in the western city of Chengdu on Monday to protest corruption and the factory's failure to pay them promised stipends, a right group said.
Police detained two protesters, the Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China said in a statement. The protesters dispersed peacefully after four hours, the group said.
The state-owned factory closed in May because of financial problems and for two months has not paid workers a $23 monthly subsistence stipend, the Information Center said. Protesters complained that factory leaders had squandered the company's money on expensive private houses for themselves.
Similar protests have sprung up around the country as workers take to the streets to demand pay and pensions from companies that claim to be too broke to pay them.