Emeute ouvrière à Wuhan 武汉 (Hubei 湖北) – 17 janvier 2011

Hundreds of workers at a factory in Wuhan, Hubei, clashed with police

asianews.it

01/20/2011

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Hundreds of workers at a factory in Wuhan, Hubei, clashed for hours with police in anti-riot gear. They were trying to prevent their company boss from fleeing aided by police before back wages were paid. In the meantime, the authorities ban media from reporting public unrest or social problems that might tarnish China’s image.

Wuhan 3541 Garment General Factory made uniforms for the People’s Liberation Army, but went bust in 2007, laying off more than 4,000 workers. Since then, they have been waiting for back wages.

Quoting a local source, Radio Free Asia reported that protesters each want 30,000 to 40,000 yuan of housing subsidy and the moving allowance, which the factory had promised to pay, as well as an accounting on what will happen to the factory.

On Monday, more than 1,500 workers blocked streets around the factory, calling for the company boss to pay them after so many years. They also tried to prevent him from leaving the plant under police escort.

“At around 6.30pm on Monday, some riot policemen came and attempted to take Sun [the head of the office] away, » Zhang Jian, a local resident, said. This led to clashes that lasted hours and at least five people injured.

According to 2008 data, at least 84,000 mass incidents caused by economic reasons break out on average every year in China. Chinese workers are poorly protected and street protests are commonplace for workers waiting for back pay. Read more…

Informations

Wuhan (武汉 ), sur les rives du Chang Jiang est la capitale de la province du Hubei 湖北, en Chine. C’est la douzième plus grande ville la plus peuplée du pays, et la deuxième plus grande ville de l’intérieur, après Chongqing. Elle a le statut administratif de ville sous-provinciale. Sa population est de 9,7 millions d’habitants.