22 April, 2002
China Labour Bulletin Press Release
On 22 April, over 100 retrenched workers of the Lanzhou Chemical Industrial Corporation, a China National Petroleum Corporation subsidiary, blocked Fulixi Street in the western district of Lanzhou city demonstrating against the terms of last years retrenchments.
Traffic was blocked for the whole day as several thousand spectators gathered. An official of the Lanzhou Chemical Industrial Corporation told China Labour Bulletin (CLB), the workers were inspired to take action by the nearly two months struggle of the Daqing Oilfield workers.
For two consecutive days, on 4 and 5 March, 3,000 retrenched workers of the Huabei Petroleum Administration Bureau also staged street demonstrations surrounding the Bureau demanding medical benefits.
The Lanzhou Chemical Industrial Corporation, the Daqing Oilfield Co. and the Huabei Petroleum Administration Bureau are all subsidiaries of the China National Petroleum Corporation.
Chinese workers from the same industry have taken similar actions at different localities of the country to fight for their rights. This is the first time ever since the Chinese Communist Party came to power that workers from the same industry independently fight for their rights. This shows, when their rights were threatened, Chinese workers took an important first step towards future united action.
Furthermore, it is the 54th day since the street demonstrations of Daqing oil workers started on Tieren (Ironman) Square, on 1 March. Up to now, from several thousand to ten thousand demonstrators gather daily on Tieren (Ironman) Square, waiting for a new solution from the government and enterprise to the retrenchment problem.
A retrenched workers family member told CLB over the phone that the government arrested several more people last Saturday (20 April) but the details of these recent arrests are not known. At the end of March, a Daqing government official confirmed to CLB that over 60 demonstrators had been arrested but some were released. At present there is yet no way to ascertain how many were still incarcerated.
China Labour Bulletin
2002-04-22